Wheelchair sprinter Hannah Cockroft became a double World Champion at just 18-years-old in 2011.
But whilst her success at the IPC World Championships was quite understandably a career pinnacle at the time, the 19-year-old now has her sights set on bigger things for 2012 - next stop London.
Ahead of her departure to Australia for the GIO Summer Down Under, we caught up with the young athlete to chat about training, competition and memorable moments.
So London 2012 would be your Paralympic debut - on home soil, what a start!
I guess it is a fantastic opportunity though it does make it a little bit more scary! To have my first Paralympic Games as a home Games is great as everyone can come and watch me, no excuses! People that just know me from random places are saying they’ve got tickets to come and see me so it’s really nice to have that support.
You’re already a double World Champion - how would it feel to top that and become a Paralympian?
Well Paralympian is the title that everybody wants but I think I’ve done it the wrong way round, becoming double World Champion first, because I’ll be going into the Games with loads of pressure and everyone’s expecting things. But it does also mean that I know I can do it, to become a Paralympian would be a dream come true.
So your future intentions are to go on to 2016 and then, who knows?
Well yes, my coach has agreed to coach me until the 2020 Paralympics and then we’ll see what happens after that. So I fully intend on staying at the top until at least 2020.
What’s your diary like for now until the Games?
Well I’m off to Australia for the first race of the 2012 season - we’ve got the GIO Summer Down Under (wheelchair track meet) out there. I’ll be racing against a new T34 girl so it’ll give me the chance to see what she’s made of. Then we’ll be warm weather training out there before I come back home for two weeks ahead of going to Portugal on another warm weather training camp. When the season officially starts for Britain I’m literally just travelling all over - nearly every weekend up until the Games is filled with some kind of race somewhere. I still have to get my qualifying time again this year for 2012 and we don’t actually get selected until the 9th of July, so there’s a long time to fight for it!
Taking a step back, how did you actually get into sprint racing?
I got invited to an Olympic talent day where I met Dr Ian Thompson, Tanni Grey-Thompson’s husband, and he let me have a go in one of his chairs. At the time I was only 14 and I had no idea who Tanni was or what wheelchair racing was. I had a go at it and absolutely loved it so we kept in touch. Ian lent me a chair and coached me for a year and I guess it was purely because of the enjoyment of it that I carried on. One thing led to another and here I am!
One of our readers has asked who it is you consider to be the best sprinter on the GB Paralympic team?
I saw this question online - I think it’s from my best friend Sally Brown so she’s going to want me to say her! We’ve got some amazing athletes on our team, Sally’s only 15 and she brought home a bronze from the World Championships so she’s absolutely amazing. Then we have all the gold medallists such as Richard Whitehead - he was a marathon runner last year and then in the World Championships he brought home a gold in the 200m which he’d never run before, so that’s pretty spectacular! Singling out one is a bit unfair because we have an absolutely amazing team.
Who do you think will prove your biggest competition at the Paralympics?
I think my main competition will be… actually I have no idea! Though there is a girl from the UAE and I raced her once before in France last year and she nearly beat me so I guess she’ll be a pretty tough rival.
What keeps you motivated when you are struggling to train?
I love racing so much and I guess it’s just the dream that I really, really want to get two golds at the Paralympic Games. I know that if I miss one day of training then that’s one day of training that my competition has up on me and that could be the difference between a gold or no medal at all. So it’s remembering what you’re doing it all for and just getting it done.
Do you have any pre-match superstitions/rituals?
I have loads of them! Before I race I have to paint my nails so they’re the same colour as my kit or my chair. At the World Champs they went red white and blue and at 2012 they’ll have little Union Jacks on. I also have to clean my chair and all my chairs have had names - my first ever chair was called Oscar after Oscar Pistorius, then I had Ian after Ian Jones and my most recent one is Sally after Sally Brown! I’m not sure which chair I’m going to use for the Games yet, I have just bought a new chair but I’ve not named it yet. I’ve got to see what it looks like when it comes! They look like their names, trust me!
Where has been your favourite place to race so far?
I think New Zealand was the best place to race and then I guess Switzerland because it was the fastest track so that’s the place that I’ve broken the most world records. New Zealand is visually the most amazing place in the world and I’d love to live there.
Another reader question - this time we’ve been told to ask which of the characters from the film ‘Madagascar’ is your favourite?
My favourite Madagascar character is the giraffe, he’s called Melman. I call Melissa Nicholls (friend and fellow athlete) Melman and she calls me Gloria simply because I’m a bit daft!
What’s been your most memorable moment?
Definitely becoming a double World Champion, that was absolutely amazing. When I got my first one, 200m, everyone was like ‘why didn’t you smile or react when you finished?’ But it didn’t sink in and I still don’t think it’s sunk in. People call me a double World Champion but to me it was just a race. I just got on with it so when I was sat on the podium words can’t describe it, it’s the most phenomenal feeling. You just feel like you’ve really achieved something and everything’s been worth it. So many people have given up so much for me to do this so it’s like giving something back. And I think the Paralympics will be ten million times better so I can’t wait to feel that.
Jessica Whittington, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine
Hannah Cockroft is a BT Ambassador. BT is the official communications services partner for the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games. www.bt.com/london2012.
Tickets for London 2012 Paralympic Games are on sale now until February 6th. To apply visit tickets.london2012.com.
