Ben Sandilands prefers to run pressure-free, which is a bit of a problem given he’s the reigning world and Paralympic champion, and world record holder.
Such a stacked resume means that it’s inevitable that Sandilands heads into the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships, which begin on Friday in New Delhi, with considerable expectation upon his shoulders.
Despite his preference to run with little pressure upon him, though, Sandilands goes into this World Championships brimming with confidence.
His self-belief is fuelled, in large part, by the fact that just weeks ago in Manchester, he set a new T20 1500m world record of 3 minutes 44.90 seconds, breaking his own previous world record by half a second, which he set on his way to Paralympic gold last summer.
Such a speedy run was not only timely, it also came as something of a surprise to 22-year-old Sandilands from Kirkcaldy, who had little idea during the race that he was on world record pace.
“I was really pleased with my world record run. I hadn't thought it was going to go as well as that,” he says.
“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.”
Sandilands, who competes in the category for athletes with intellectual impairment, has made astonishing progress in the sport since he began competing only two years ago.
Despite having been running with Fife AC for over a decade, Sandilands, who is coached by Steve Doig, only received a para-classification in 2023. And immediately, the Scot made an impact on the international stage.
He won his maiden world title that year before winning Paralympic gold last summer in Paris and despite the rapidity of his rise surprising some, he admits this is the kind of trajectory he foresaw his career taking.
“When I started racing, I was confident my career would go well,” he says.
“I'd been looking at times others have been running and I knew I could match them. I did think I could potentially be running world record times so it's a good feeling to have been able to actually achieve that already.”
Sandilands goes into this World Para Athletics Championships with the target of successfully defending his title.
However, he has a healthy perspective on the championships, and is well aware that in elite sport, being the favourite on paper doesn’t always translate into a gold medal. But were a second world title to come his way, it would, he believes, be an even greater achievement than was his maiden one.
“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,” he says.
“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.
“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.”
Sandilands is one of three Scots included in GB’s team for this World Championships in India - joining him in the 37-strong squad are T72 frame runner, Finlay Menzies, who will make his international debut and T54 wheelchair racer, Mel Woods, who is aiming for her first major championship medal.
