by Britain is “a very scary place for disabled people at the moment”, according to leading Paralympian Hannah Cockroft who says the government is “not listening” to the needs of some of society’s most vulnerable people.
The wheelchair racer and seven-time Paralympic gold medalist is favorite to retain her T34 100m and 800m titles in Paris this year. But between now and her fourth Games there are still a series of challenges for the 31-year-old and not all of them are on the road.
Cockroft says that the recognition that the Paralympics have achieved in the decade since London 2012 has meant that the public perception has now become one of overcoming difficulties, when the truth is that the struggles have not increased to be violated by disabled people only during that time.
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“You see us going out on the track and field and you see us doing incredible things and suddenly our disability disappears in people’s eyes,” Cockroft said. “We come across as very independent and we can conquer the world but we can’t. I still can’t get on a train alone I can’t catch a bus yet. I still rely on Personal Independence Payments.
“The separation between Paralympians and all other disabled people is harmful. Britain is a very scary place for all disabled people at the moment. You feel targeted with every ad that comes out, you feel unsupported.”
Last week the chairman of ParalympicsGB, Dave Clarke, wrote an open letter to Rishi Sunak asking the Prime Minister to reverse the decision to downgrade the role of disability minister within the government.
“I think Dave wants the disability community to know that Paralympics GB represents you too, that we have the same fights and the same struggles,” Cockroft said. When asked if she thought the government was listening to the disabled community, she replied: “No, not recently.”
Cockroft believes Paris will be “huge” in terms of bringing back the spotlight to disability sport and activism, but insists the commonly accepted momentum for change since London 2012 has long since died down.
“I had a really unrealistic view of the Paralympics because London was my first Games. I spoke to other athletes who made their debut in London and it was almost like we were naive to think that was the support Paralympic sport received. Between London and Rio every world championship, every European championship was on TV, there was a lot of attendance, good support and I got this sense of a promise that didn’t last.
“I think I noticed it a lot on the trip between Rio and Tokyo. That’s when I noticed that the TV coverage was falling apart, we didn’t get the crowds anymore, we weren’t integrated as much as the previous four years. Everything started to go and the more you talked to athletes who had done a few games they would say: ‘Oh yeah, this is more like it, this is the most Paralympic thing.'”
Britain’s success continued to grow during this period, with ParalympicsGB finishing second in the medal table in Tokyo three years ago. Cockroft was at the forefront of these achievements, and currently holds the world records for no less than five distances (100, 200 400, 800 and 1500m). But the West Yorkshire native, speaking as an ambassador for Dreams as part of their partnership with ParalympicsGB, says the gap British athletes have over their rivals has narrowed, particularly in the women’s 100m T34 sprint.
“The investment in our sport is making the 100 so difficult,” she said. “Although we have made great progress in our team we are a little behind in terms of the support we get in the equipment itself. Now everyone has an understanding of what is the best chair set up, what is the best wheel, what will make us the most aerodynamic. And there’s so much new gear coming out.
“I went into a wind tunnel for the first time about two months ago. That’s the first time in 16 years, where other countries have been doing it for years and years. Then there’s the Sauber race chair that Marcel Hug pushes, a lot of people have moved over to that. I don’t have 40 grand to spare so I’m not making that change.”
Cockroft says she will start the year “very nervous” but does so with a smile and her attitude could simply be understood as the determination of a champion. She admits to studying her competitors’ Instagram Stories for details on their training and equipment. It looks like the promise to reduce the number of distances she will compete in will be postponed again.
With a world championship, two grand prix and a possible appearance on the Diamond Series before the Games begin, there is a good chance that more world records will fall between now and Paris. For those who might be new to Hurricane Hannah this August, she likes to put it this way: “If you enjoy watching Dina Asher-Smith I promise you’ll enjoy what I do too.”
