Paralympic champion Ben Sandilands is preparing to defend his World Para Athletics Championships title having recently broken his own global time record.
The talented athlete, who stormed to gold in Paris last summer, is part of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland squad competing at the event in New Delhi, India.
It begins on Saturday, and runs until Sunday October 5, where the 22-year-old will race in the T20 1500 metres.
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Ben, who is coached by Steve Doig, who leads a training group at Pitreavie which includes Owen Miller, the T20 1500m champion at the delayed 2021 Tokyo Paralympics, was amongst the first batch of athletes selected for the competition in June.
In 2023, he made his international debut for GB at the World Para Athletics Championships, held in the French capital, and he enjoyed a stunning victory in a time of three minutes and 52.42 seconds, a championship record.
On his return to the city for last year's Paralympics, his first, Kirkcaldy native Ben stormed to gold in stunning fashion, setting a new world record time of 03:45.50.
Ben Sandilands recently broke his own world record time that he set whilst winning Paralympic gold last summer.
In the build-up to the competition in New Delhi, the Fife AC star posted an even quicker time in August at the BMC Grand Prix World Athletics Challenger event in Manchester, shaving half a second off his Paralympic effort by running 03:44.90.
Ben, who competes in the category for athletes with intellectual impairment, told The National : "I was really pleased with my world record run. I hadn't thought it was going to go as well as that.
"During the race, I had no idea I was on world record pace but towards the end, I heard one of my training partners, Caleb McLeod, cheering me on and that helped me keep going so I probably owe him one.
"Every time I race, I'm aiming for a PB so it was nice to be able to do that.
"I feel good going into these World Championships. With it being so late in the year, it's been tricky to peak, but hopefully I've managed it.
"My target is to win but if I don’t manage that, then run a PB. I don't have too many tactics when I go into a race - I’ll just go out there and run and I'll see where it takes me. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't - but hopefully it works out in Delhi.
Paralympic champion Ben is aiming to defend his World Para Athletics Championships title.
"I’m in the best shape I've ever been so that's a real confidence boost and if I can win a second world title, it will be an even bigger achievement than doing it the first time."
Ben is one of three Scots in the 37-strong squad, and his event his due to begin on Friday October 3, concluding the following day.
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