September is a gloomy time of year.  The summer, and the fun, is drawing to a close.  The Olympics are over and Chris Hoy will have his three gold medals tucked away as he prepares to win more in London.  The festival season has also fizzled out, as revellers pack up their wellies and tents and go home.

Yes, it’s depressing.  Though it has hardly been a scorching summer, it is almost time to sit tight, wrap up and bed-in for winter.  Back to school, back to college, back to humdrum. 

But all is not lost.  The party may be drawing to a close at home, but in Beijing the festival season is still in full swing.  In fact, the Chinese are only halfway through their celebration of sporting excellence, because now that Messrs Phelps, Bolt and Nadal have moved on to conquer other corners of the world, the men and women who will compete for Paralympic gold have arrived to replace them in their own quest for glory.

16 Scots will travel to Beijing to represent Team GB, where they will hope to emulate the feats of worldwide heroes like Tanni Grey-Thomson, Oscar Pistorious and Esther Vergeer.

Among the favourites for a medal will be tandem-cyclist Aileen McGlynn, already the proud owner of a gold and silver medal picked up at the Athens Paralympics four years ago.   Gold in the women’s tandem kilo (B 1-3) and silver in the women’s tandem sprint (B 1-3).

Partially sighted, McGlynn, 35 from Glasgow, is piloted by Ellen Hunter.  Between them they form one of the ‘dynamic duos’ of international cycling, and have medalled and broken world records across the globe.  In Beijing, nothing but gold will do for the Crookston athlete, who is keen to emulate Olympic hero Hoy.

“He's done amazingly well and he's really an inspiration. Hopefully I'll be as successful. But I'm only entered for two events so can only win two golds,” McGlynn said.

“We actually won 14 gold medals at last year’s world championships so it is us that is setting the standard for them!  And obviously we hope to replicate that form at the Paralympics.”

Also seeking glory will be Scottish swimmer James Anderson, who has a track record of stepping up to the plate when it counts.  At Atlanta in 1996, Anderson took two golds and one silver.  In Sydney four years later he went home with three silvers.  Then at the Athens Games he recorded his best haul yet, winning four golds.  He will be one of the favourites to grab another clutch of medals for his collection in Beijing.

Elsewhere, look out for some talented youngsters who have been previously featured on In The Winning Zone.  

Partially sighted sprinter Libby Clegg, from the Borders, is a teenager with medals on her mind.  Her obvious pace combined with incredible mental focus for one so young could see her upset a few of the established order.

Elsewhere 17-year-old sensation Gordon Reid, a wheelchair tennis player, will be keen to continue his hot run of form in 2008, which has already seen him win several international tournaments and rise into the world’s top 40.  He is the youngest tennis player to represent Team GB at the Paralympics.

Rangers FC will also be keeping a close eye on how the football unfolds in China.  While the able-bodied football folk bicker over who will represent Britain at London 2012, there are no such issues at the Paralympics.

Jonathon Paterson of Rangers’ pan-disability side will captain Team GB, and he will be joined by his namesake team-mate Graham Paterson. 

“Being part of the Paralympics is beyond what I ever dreamed about,” said Graham, embodying perfectly the new motto of the Paralympic Games, ‘Spirit in Motion’ expressing the inspirational strong will and elite performance of Paralympic athletes.

In The Winning Zone will be cheering Team GB all the way in Beijing.  Here’s a list of all the Scots involved so you can keep an eye on them too...

Archery
Kate Murray

Athletics
Elizabeth ‘Libby’ Clegg
Neil Fachie
Stephen Payton

Cycling
Aileen McGlynn MBE

Football
Graeme Paterson
Jonathan Paterson
Keiran Martin
Mark Robertson

Swimming
Andrew Lindsay
Charlotte Henshaw
James Anderson MBE
Mhairi Love
Sean Fraser

Tennis
Gordon Reid
Kevin Simpson

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