Sophie Kamlish (born 20 August 1996) is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

Paralympic athlete who competes in sprint events in T44 events. She represented Great Britain at the

2012 Summer Paralympics The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Summer Paralympic Gam ...

and

2016 Summer Paralympics ) , nations = 159 , athletes = 4,342 , opening = 7 September , closing = 18 September , opened_by = President Michel Temer , cauldron = Clodoaldo Silva , events = 528 in 22 sports , stadium = Maracanã , sum ...

Early life

Kamlish was born in

Camden, London The London Borough of Camden () is a London borough in Inner London. Camden Town Hall, on Euston Road, lies north of Charing Cross. The borough was established on 1 April 1965 from the area of the former boroughs of Hampstead, Holborn, and ...

in 1996. She was born with a right foot that was severely turned in, for which a splint was fitted to straighten it. Despite this her right leg was significantly shorter than her left and when Kamlish was nine her doctors suggested the fitting of a gradual extension frame to lengthen her leg. Kamlish was already in significant pain and there was no guarantee that the frame would work so she and her family opted for a below the knee amputation. In a 2012 interview, Kamlish stated that it was a good decision. Kamlish grew up in Camden in London where she attended Fleet Primary School. Her family then moved to

Bath, Somerset Bath () is a city in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 Census, the population was 101,557. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, ...

where she was educated at

Oldfield School Oldfield School is a secondary school, with a small sixth form, in Newbridge, Bath, England. Since February 2011, the school has had academy status, meaning that it operates outside the control of the local authority. Prior to 2012 the main sc ...

, before attending a foundation course in illustration at

Bath College Bath College is a Further Education college in the centre of Bath, Somerset Bath () is a city in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2 ...

Athletics career

Running a world record time in Rio In 2011 Kamlish attended a 'Playground to Podium' event at the

University of Bath (Virgil, Georgics II) , mottoeng = Learn the culture proper to each after its kind , established = 1886 (Merchant Venturers Technical College) 1960 (Bristol College of Science and Technology) 1966 (Bath University of Technology) 1971 (univ ...

, a scheme intended to find talented potential athletes. Despite having played

wheelchair basketball Wheelchair basketball is basketball played by people with varying physical disabilities that disqualify them from playing a non-disabled sport. These include spina bifida, birth defects, cerebral palsy, paralysis due to accident, amputations (of ...

at junior level, she preferred the solo aspect and self-reliance that comes with athletics. Kamlish made her senior international debut at the 2012 Paralympic World Cup in Manchester and that year was selected for the Great Britain team at the London Paralympics. At the London Games she was selected for two events, the

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...

and

200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

T44 sprints. Kamlish qualified through the heats in both events but did not achieve a podium finish in either, though she did achieve a personal best in the 200m. A year later Kamlish was back in the Great Britain team, this time travelling to Lyon to compete in the 2013 Lyon. She came fourth in the

sprint but won her first major international medal when she finished third in the

. Kamlish has also represented her country at the 2014 IPC Athletics European Championships in

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

and the 2015 World Championships in Doha. On 17 September 2016 at the

Kamlish broke the World Record in the heats for T44 100m.Women's 100m - T43/44 - Standings
, Rio2016, Retrieved 17 September 2016 On 17 July 2017, Kamlish broke her own T44 100m world record in the heats at the World ParaAthletics Championships in London. On the same day, she also won her first international gold medal in front of a home crowd, beating four-time world champion

Marlou van Rhijn Marlou van Rhijn (; born 22 October 1991) is a retired professional Dutch former professional sprint runner. Van Rhijn, who was born without lower legs, is the world record holder for T43 in the 100 and 200 metres events and ran with the aid ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kamlish, Sophie 1996 births Living people English female sprinters Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Paralympics British female sprinters Track and field athletes with disabilities Sportswomen with disabilities Paralympic athletes for Great Britain English people with disabilities Paralympic competitors for Great Britain Sportspeople from the London Borough of Camden Team Bath track and field athletes Team Bath Paralympic athletes Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Paralympics