Hannah Cockroft
OBE, PLY, DL
Paralympian
Sport
Hannah Cockroft is the most decorated British athlete in World Championship history, across both the Olympic and Paralympic teams. In 2023, she added titles 13 and 14 to her collection, to join her 7 Paralympic Champion titles, 3 European gold medals and Commonwealth Champion title and her World Records over 5 distances in wheelchair racing.
Since bursting onto the athletics scene at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, winning 2 gold medals and becoming a household name, Hannah’s career on the track has been nothing short of golden, being awarded an MBE in the 2013 New Years Honours list and an OBE in the 2022 New Years Honours list. Hannah was also made a Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire in 2016, the youngest ever appointed and in 2017, she was named Sportswoman of the Year by the Sports Journalists Association- the first para-athlete to ever win the award in it’s over 60 year history.
Away from the track, Hannah is a big advocate for getting young people active. In 2021, she took her coaching qualifications and now coaches her own athlete alongside her training. She is passionate about opening up opportunities for young disabled people, as she didn’t find disability sport until she was 12 years old and didn’t get involved with wheelchair racing until she was 15.
She is ambassador and patron of several charities to help combat the barriers that stop people getting active, these include Whizz Kidz, Make A Wish Foundation and Physcap, but she also lends her name and support to Forget Me Not Childrens Hospice, The Danny Jones Defibrillator Fund, Care Workers Charity and The Jane Tomlinson Appeal.
Hannah works hard to raise the profile of Paralympic Sport and has been seen on shows such as The Great Stand Up to Cancer British Bake Off, Mastermind and Sport Relief does Strictly Come Dancing (she won this in 2013!). She also has a career in TV presenting, having presented for BBC Countryfile, The One Show and the FA Disability Cup.
But overall, Hannah is still an athlete, aiming for Gold at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
“Say ‘Yes’ to every opportunity you get offered- if you don’t love it, you’ll learn from it and it could change your life!”
Disability Power 100 2023 profile information has been self-submitted by the profile subject. Shaw Trust understands and respects that disability and impairment descriptors and language use varies from person to person. Shaw Trust assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or discrepancies in the content of this, or any other, profile page.
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