Multiple Paralympic Champion is not unfamiliar to succeed, but honors cannot mask the financial difficulties facing the Para athletes to pursue their claims
Hannah Cockroft has learned to appear in the chairs. With nine Paralympic gold medals, multiple worlds and created as predominant power in a wheelchair for more than a decade, he has long been recognized as one of the most successful athletes in Britain. But there are some honorers that still manage to cut, even in his track post for someone.
At the beginning of this year, 32-year-old children received CBE for services. It was not his first trip to the Buckingham Palace, which was awarded after Tokyo’s 2020. “Oh, you come back again,” said King Princess.
“It was really cool,” says Akroft. “I obeyed my obedience after Tokyo and in the end he was like:” Well, I think I’ll see you again. “
As memorable, the parameter was, the rooster is the first to note that such truths are not expected or accepted by the government full of medals.
“People think you expect to buy one, and that’s definitely not,” he added. “You don’t go out to the trailing thinking.” I’m going to win gold medals so I can get this recognition. “
When the letter reached, confirming his CBE, RECROFT immediately called his father his father. But above personal joy, he saw a greater thing in the prize, the rare and necessary moment of visibility of people with disabilities in Britain.
The deadline was significant, taking into account the growing anxiety between the disabled communities for the changes and competence of the proposed government for the payment of Personal Independence (PIP). More than 3.6 million people who currently receive pipelines in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
“It’s like such an indefinite time,” Apaffet said. “As a Paralympyan, you are not seen as one of the people who benefit from the pipeline … but all the little things that affect the disabled affect us.
He says that such recognition of CBE was a small counterbalance to be able to remind people that the Paralyks are not outside, not above. Para Sport’s reality remains Stark. Since the Parisian Paralympic, where two gold medals scored two gold medals (T34 100m & 800 m), he declined financial support.
“I have already lost every sponsor I had in the Paralympic year,” he said. “We have changed our funding, so we are currently receiving one annual competition. (For) everything else, we must cover ourselves. “
This has had real consequences. Internationally competing is expensive. Cockroft evaluates 1,000 pounds, just to enter one race in the Swiss grandchildren’s race, the bill continues to lift.
For someone who dominated his sport for more than a decade, the bites of that reality.
“Name the Olympic champion without sponsors,” he said. “I can’t mention one. And I won nine gold. “
Exoctro admits that this lack of recognition and support is heavily weighs, not only itself, but what it is for the next generation of athletes.
“If I don’t let it, they definitely can’t afford it,” he said. “And that’s where sport falls.”
London 2012, which is often considered a peak of paralympic visibility in the UK, the utensils collided with the crane struggle to spend momentum. Cockroft reminds post-election games, a huge crowd, funding and media attention, which felt a change in the game. But he also remembers how fast he has faded.
“In the Paralympic year, it is 10 steps forward, and then he steps back in 11 steps,” he said. “We are struggling to acquire new people in our sports, we are struggling to open opportunities.”
Among his biggest concerns is the narrowing of races and the lack of prize money or professional paths for Para athletes. Before the rest of the athletes occupies the necessary change for sports, the rooster says that many athletes of dance are still struggling to sit around the table.
“We just want a small piece of paper what the working guys got,” he said.
It’s the way to move forward for Cockroft. He believes that as long as real investments are not invested in the early sports of children with disabilities, the next generation of champions will not be there. That is why he helped to start a major new partnership between Athletics, Citro and his official charitable Foundation, bringing school athletics clubs with several English schools.
“These are children who, for some reason, do not access sports,” said the Ambassador and Stability of the Athletics of England. “There is no financial pressure, there is no expectation. It literally means that children have to try a new sport. ” It’s amazing. “
It is a rooted mission in his own experience. As a child, the rooster was excluded from PE classes due to security concerns. His first chance in the competitive sport was thanked by the passionate PE teacher of the secondary school, who helped him find athletics club.
“Not all children have that support,” he said. “This partnership is convinced that they are doing.”
Despite all the challenges that collided with him, his husband and wheelchairs Nathan Maguir, whose last debut in the London Marathon, where he finished the tenth. Exproft admits that it’s harder to find that he is watching his tribes than to compete with himself.
“He is still standing up. I’m just trying to stay on top, “he said. “But watching his hunger reminds me why I started. He always drives me to try new things. “
“He will still climb. I’m just trying to stay on top, “says Kochophy, the primary goal of the World Parameter Championships in the New Delay. “But watching his hunger reminds me why I started. He always drives me to try new things. “
