After making his international debut in New Delhi, World Bronze medallist Finlay Menzies looks back on lessons learned, proud moments, and future dreams.
By Scott Jenkins, Publicity Officer, CAAC
It’s a warm Tuesday evening in New Delhi and Finlay Menzies lines up in lane seven of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium for the T72 100m final at the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships. It’s Finlay’s main event and, having run a personal best in the heats earlier in the day, he’s brimming with self-belief. The training has all been completed and Finlay knows he has the skills and determination to run his best effort. His Mum and Dad are watching on in the stadium stands, and thousands more follow the live stream at home. Then the starting gun fires.
Starting Out: Discovering Framerunning
Back home, I asked Finlay how he first became involved in athletics. “I have always loved speed and wheels! When I was 8 years old I told my mum I wanted to run and win races. She signed me up to a disability sports club called Edinburgh Eagles where we played games, ran around and practiced throwing balls and foam javelins.”
At this stage Finlay’s athletic pursuits were not competitive, until a formative club session at the age of ten changed his life forever. “One night the coach brought along a three wheel running frame to the club for me to try. I shot across the hall and loved every minute” recounts Menzies. “By the end of that same week I had entered and raced in my first competition, winning 2 gold medals over 60m and 100m.”
Finlay competes in the T72 category, in which athletes use a running frame. The athlete is supported by a saddle and a chest plate, with handlebars to steer the front wheel. Frames come in different sizes to match the athlete’s body and running style. Finlay’s distinctive green frame stands out vividly among his competitors’ monochrome machines, and it even has a name: Eric.
“After Eric Liddell” he explains. The Scottish sprinter and missionary, born a century earlier, remains an enduring source of inspiration. “My Christian faith is a big part of who I am,” Finlay adds. “It helps me to stay calm.
Now, at the age of 20, Finlay’s training has evolved in structure and focus. He trains on the track three times a week, mixing longer endurance efforts, with shorter, sharper sprint efforts. Every session starts with a mile warm up, plus specific drills and stretches to activate the muscle groups. Finlay’s discipline really shines through. “It is really important to carefully warm up every muscle and practice drill exercises because my cerebral palsy can make me really stiff and make it more challenging to build new muscle” Primarily in the winter, he also adds strength and conditioning exercises into his training schedule. You might find Finlay at a local parkrun – Edinburgh’s Cramond Promenade is his favourite. “I’ve made so many friends and improved my PB to 19:15.”
Chasing Selection: The Road to New Delhi
In April, the country’s fastest framerunners were invited to a talent weekend in Loughborough, where training, warm-up and technical sessions gave Finlay a valuable early-season boost. He opened his track season with a personal best of 17.16 in the 100m.
Then came a huge announcement: framerunning would be included as a medal event at the next Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, 2028. “That really fired me up,” Finlay recalls. “To set down qualifying times, para-athletes must perform at World Para Athletics accredited events. I made it my focus to get as fast as I could to give myself the best chance of selection.”
The summer quickly became a blur of travel and racing – “we were driving up and down the country all season!” – and his efforts paid off with gold and another PB of 16.68 at the England Athletics Champs in Birmingham in July. On the 4th August, Finlay received the call he had been dreaming of; an invitation to join the GB squad for the World Championships in New Delhi. That left just five weeks to prepare.
Indeed, the timescales were even tighter. Menzies and his team flew to Dubai one week ahead of the championships for a training and acclimatisation camp. There are a couple of great clips on Finlay’s instagram. The aim was to overcome some of the jet lag on route, and get used to warming up and running in such oppressive heat. Speaking to Finlay, it sounds like it worked: “By the time I got to India, the 37-43 degree heat was more manageable. Although it was very hot, my muscles actually respond better to being too hot than too cold.”
Once the team landed in New Delhi, final preparations began. Athletes first had to go through international classification before being cleared for racing. Training and recovery took priority over sight-seeing, with regular buses running to both the training and competition venues about 15 minutes away. “My coach had to make sure my frame was in the right place each day,” explains Finlay. “The local organisers transported it for us, which was a big help. We stayed in a very nice hotel along with the 37 athletes and 25 staff on the British Team.”
400m Setback
Finlay’s first event, the 400m, was on the first evening of the championships. “I always start with the same warm-up,” Finlay tells me. “one mile plus specific drills, some stretching and some practice in the starting blocks. In the call room Eric needs to be checked for compliance and I use that time to do some activations and take on board some energy.”
The new Mondo track in the stadium had been specially laid; the smooth track was ready for the world’s best. “I went out faster than I ever have before and my adrenaline was soaring,” says Finlay. It should have been a breakthrough. A five second PB was on the cards, but a lane infringement changed everything. “Framerunners must keep their entire frame and wheels inside the lane” Finlay explains. “One touch of a line and it’s a disqualification. When I am running there is very little room for error and I can’t see my back wheels. It is really difficult to control the frame within these tight margins at speed.” The officials didn’t spot anything live, but a protest was made. Two hours later, the news came: he’d been disqualified and wouldn’t be racing the final.
“In the moment I was desperately disappointed, but I knew I had to move on and focus on the 100m three days later.” reflects Finlay “The GB team were absolutely superb at supporting me through this.” This resilience only adds further inspiration to Menzies’ story; his composure to move forward past a setback and drive his energy into whatever’s next. “I chatted to team mates – almost everyone has made a costly mistake at some point and it is part of the learning process.”
100m Triumph: Bronze for Britain
Back at the hotel, Finlay socialised with teammates, spent some time unwinding by the pool, and fitted in one final track session before getting a good night’s sleep. Food was a different kind of challenge. “I don’t like spicy food” admits Finlay, when asked about his nutrition in the spice capital of the world. “The GB team helped us to select good food choices from the buffet – one carbohydrate, one protein, and cooked vegetables. The hotel washed all our food in filtered water and thankfully, nobody got sick. I like porridge before I train and race, but finding that was a challenge. Most days I would make a fruit, cereal and yoghurt pot and then eat toast with jam.”
Before long, Tuesday was here, and with the 100m heats at 10am and the final at 6pm, it was lining up to be a busy day. Menzies’ spoke of his excitement: “I love racing and usually a bit of nerves and adrenaline improves my performance. I try to focus on what is right in front of me and not let the week’s or day’s events around me have an impact. I do like a calm and unrushed environment on race day.”
Finlay placed second in his heat with a new PB of 16.38, finishing ahead of framerunners from Poland, Lithuania, and Sweden, though a second behind a fast Brazilian who set a blistering new American area record. “I was taken back to the team hotel immediately, with a protein shake and snack on the bus transfer.” recounts Finlay. “I had a massage as quickly as possible to try and take the lactic acid from my legs. Then I had a session with compression recovery boots, some lunch and more hydration, then it was back to the stadium.”
Through the call room for the third and final time of the championships, Finlay and Eric rolled out to lane seven. As supporters watched on from home, each athlete was introduced to the stadium. From an athlete’s perspective it’s just extra time to get nervous. “The delay at the beginning of a major race was new to me.” says Menzies “Sitting tense in the blocks for all of this time isn’t helpful, so we changed when I’d get into position. This definitely helped me conserve energy.”
Sporting the special GB finals vest, a privilege given only to British athletes who make their championship final, Finlay was motivated and ready to go. Then the starting gun fired.
Locked into the race, Finlay focused entirely on his execution. “I knew I just needed to get out of the blocks as fast as I could and then hold my top speed for as far as I could.” he says. “When I’m racing, I don’t think about anything else.” Moments later, he crossed the line and knew he’d won bronze. “I could see the Italian in lane five and one of the Brazilians in lane six, and no one else.” The clock confirmed it: another personal best, 16.29. But at that moment, the time didn’t matter.
“I was just so delighted to win a medal at my first World Champs.” beams Finlay. “My mum and dad were both in the stadium and they came round to the carpet which joins the warm up track from the main stadium. I think we were all just so stunned and relieved, full of pride, and delighted to be going home with a medal. I was given some Bombay mix and coca cola and I don’t like either! Instead my mum gave me a huge slab of banana cake which she was keeping and we went to the stands to support other GB team members.”
Looking Ahead
Back in Scotland a few weeks later, Finlay reflects on his World Championship experiences with pride and perspective. “I have learned that I need to control my adrenaline a bit better, but that comes with experience,” he says. “The team environment and support was a highlight – every evening they would form a welcome party to cheer medallists back into the hotel. This was really special.”
Looking ahead, performance squad selections are hopeful for the talented framerunner. “Next season I am hoping for some good racing at a high level to grow my experience, and ultimately I have my eyes on Los Angeles 2028.” In fact, on the 23rd October, Finlay was announced to be part of the GB Para Futures Performance Squad. He has also earnt a spot in the Scottish National Athletics Academy.
But Finlay remembers well his earliest participation in the sport over a decade ago, and wholeheartedly encourages others to get involved. “Absolutely go for it!” urges the now World Championship Bronze medallist. “The main aim is to find something you enjoy, stick at it, make friends, and improve your fitness. Even a modest amount of aerobic activity and muscle strength will make any disability more manageable.”
As our conversation draws to a close, Finlay takes a moment to thank the many people who have supported him along the way, offering special mention to:
“My parents, who have supported me right from the beginning. They have tirelessly driven me up and down the country to get better race experience and chase qualifying times. My mum ran the virtual length of Lands End to John O’Groats to raise money for my framerunner.”
“To Celia Peerless, Livingston AC coach, for introducing me to framerunning, and coordinating the first 7 years of my training with passion and enthusiasm.”
“To Graeme Reid, CAAC coach, for being willing to step out, set up the framerunning group within CAAC, tirelessly fundraising to buy new frames for keen athletes, and for coordinating and delivering a training cycle which improved my times season after season, and searching for other experts to step in and focus on specific elements of my starts and sprints. This tailored and consistent approach definitely contributed to my selection and success. Thank you Graeme and all the CAAC framerunning coaches!”
“And finally to the GB team staff – you were absolutely awesome.”
Follow Finlay’s journey on Instagram @finlaymenzies and keep up with the CAAC framerunning squad at caac.org.uk.