Interview with Hannah Cockroft ahead of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

28 August 2024

We sat down with Hannah Cockroft ahead of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. 

Paris 2024 will be another Paralympics under your belt, are you thrilled to be taking part in another competition? 
I’m so excited to be going to my fourth Paralympic Games. If you’d told me at London 2012, I’d still be around now and still potentially winning medals I wouldn’t have believed you. So I can’t wait!

And this is the first Paralympics on European soil since 2012, what difference will that make? 
There hasn’t been a Games like 2012 since then and I’m really hopeful Paris can get as close to it as possible. It won’t quite be a home crowd, but I really think the British public will come over and support us. Being closer to home and not having the time differences we had with Rio and Tokyo make this Games much more accessible and we need to reach as many people, most importantly as many young people as possible, to get them interested in our sport and hopefully wanting to take up our sport. The tagline of London 2012 was ‘Inspire a Generation’ and I 100% believe we did that, but we’re now a long time on from there and we need to inspire the next generation.

Inspiring a new generation is part of what Every Body Moves is all about. How important is it to bring more people through at a grassroots level?
Campaigns like Every Body Moves are so important because we digest so many things on social media and in the media, but you still don’t see that many disabled people included. You don’t see someone like you. I still visit schools where disabled children are being told they can’t do sport, they can’t take part in P.E. That was what I was told growing up and look what I’ve gone on to achieve. It terrifies me that there are still young people out there being told that, it’s such a damaging narrative. Campaigns like Every Body Moves show that everybody can do something. There is a sport or activity that everyone can enjoy. You don’t have to be a Paralympic champion, all that matters is having fun and being active. 

How are you feeling ahead of Paris? How has training been going? 
Training has been going well. At the World Championships in Japan, I managed to bring home two more World Championship titles so that’s a really positive place to start my Paris journey. My full focus is on Paris now. I’ve competed against every girl in the world rankings this year aside from one. I’m feeling confident, I’m pushing well and I feel like there’s more to come. I’ve not hit my peak yet this season and I feel like I’ve got some fast times in me.  

What do the Paralympics mean to you?   
The Paralympics mean everything to me. They completely changed my life. Not just in terms of winning gold medals and that side of it is incredible, but without the Paralympics I don’t think I’d have the independence I have today. I wouldn’t have the freedom and I definitely wouldn’t have the confidence. The Paralympics has taught me that everyone has something they’re good at and hopefully when people watch us on TV, they can see a little bit themselves in us and it encourages others to go out and find their thing. That’s the magic of the Paralympics, you don’t have to be involved in your sport as a child. Anyone can be become disabled at any time and I think we show that there is always something good that can come from something bad. Everything about the Paralympics is positive and I love being a part of that.

Aside from your own, which Paralympic events do you look forward to the most? 
I don’t think I look forward to my own events at all! My fiancé is racing in the T54 400m, 800m and 1,500m and I’d like to say they’re the events I’m looking forward to the most, but I’m actually more nervous for him than I am for me. I love watching anything I can. My events are placed on the second day and the second to last day which is terrible timing for supporting ParalympicsGB, but I soak up as much of it as I can.  

Tell us a little bit about what it’s like being part of ParalympicsGB. What is the atmosphere in the athletes’ village like during a Games? 
Being a member of ParalympicsGB is like going home, it’s like being with your family. It’s so welcoming and friendly. I remember going to London 2012, my first Games, and being part of the team for the first time. It’s so amazing to be amongst athletes from all the different sports and it’s a bit like having a big sleepover. It’s great fun.

The athletes’ village is like a different world. I’d live there if I could. There’s a massive food hall and you can have anything you desire at any given time of day. It’s dangerous! There are also games centres, relaxation zones and there is so much going on. And everything’s free!

What impact do you think that Channel 4 has had on the Paralympics? 
The support of Channel 4 since London 2012 has changed the way Paralympic sport is viewed, especially in the UK. I speak to so many of my fellow competitors and they always say they wish they had Channel 4 supporting them. I think back to 2012 and I hadn’t won anything big, no one knew my name, but Channel 4 put me on a massive billboard in the middle of London. It seemed crazy at the time but just amazing to see that support.

In the past 12 years Channel 4 has continued to show up to make sure our faces are known, our achievements are talked about and that people know they can come and watch what we can do. We’re one of the only countries that does that and it makes me incredibly proud that we are treated the same way as our able-bodied counterparts with Channel 4 giving us that coverage.  

We can’t forget you’re going to be in Paris! Have you been before? What’s your favourite thing to do?  
I love a city break. I did the Eiffel Tower earlier this year, so I think my favourite thing left to do is food. Breakfast, petit dejeuner, is amazing, the best breakfast in the world. Hopefully I’ll have time for a nice breakfast, a nice baguette, croissant and an orange juice.  

How is your French? Can you please give us your best phrase?
My French is terrible. My school split the year in two halves for languages and I did German. Bonjour and petit dejeuner are all I need to know!