Hannah Cockroft
annah Cockroft’s double triumph in London proved to be the catalyst for a period of continued success which saw her claim every major title going. At the London 2012 Paralympic Games, she won 200m gold on a night dubbed ‘Thriller Thursday’ where David Weir and Jonnie Peacock also won Paralympic gold. In the years leading up to Rio 2016, Cockroft proved unbeatable at major championships – winning seven major gold medals to underline her status as the number one in her class. At Rio 2016 she claimed gold in the T34 100m, 400m, and 800m. A year later she claimed the same trio of titles at the World Championships in London, while 2018 saw Cockroft secure another 800m European title and silver in the 100m. At the Dubai 2019 World Championships Cockroft was in sensational form, smashing the T34 100m world record to claim her eleventh world gold medal before adding a twelfth with victory over two laps. In 2021, Cockroft lowered her world records across the 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m before going on to clinch double Paralympic gold at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, clocking a new world record of 16.39s over 100m in the process. In the 800m, Cockroft set a Paralympic record of 1:48.99, finishing more than 10 seconds clear of her rivals. Cockroft was made a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2013 New Year’s Honours List.
