Hannah Cockroft competing in the Women's 800m T34 final during day eight of the World Para Athletics Championships Kobe at Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium. (Picture: Toru Hanai/Getty Images)
I’ve had the most incredible moments of my life because of wheelchair racing (Picture: Toru Hanai/Getty Images)

Watching a home video of myself recently, I saw four-year-old Hannah playing on the floor with a doll.

Then I’m asked by my parents if I’d like to get back into my wheelchair, to which I replied emphatically: ‘No. Because then I’d be on my own.’

I only recently came across this footage, and it shocked me that I could ever have felt that way. I only ever remember being a confident and determined person, so it broke my heart to know it hasn’t always been like this.

If only that four-year old girl could see me now – a seven-time Paralympic gold medallist, with 16 world titles, and countless world records. If I could’ve told her that this would ever happen, I don’t think she’d have believed it.

I experienced two cardiac arrests at birth, affecting my balance and mobility as well as hips, legs and feet. Doctors initially predicted that I would never walk or live independently.

As for my sporting story, it isn’t your average one. I didn’t go to an athletics club growing up or see someone on TV and think ‘I want to do that’. In fact, most of my sporting experiences as a child were watching on from a safe viewpoint.

School break times were spent sitting on a picnic bench, while I spent PE lessons doing my physiotherapy exercises in the corner. I would sit in the classroom surrounded by everyone’s uniforms as they’d changed into their PE kits, while I remained uncomfortable in my splints and boots.

Hannah Cockcroft as a four-year-old, in her wheelchair with a Barbie, smiling at the camera
If only that four-year old girl could see me now, says Hannah (Picture: Hannah Cockroft)

I never really remember feeling different until it came to times like that. And only in those times did it make me feel incredibly alone, as I watched everyone around me enjoy the one thing I couldn’t do.

I think that’s what I subconsciously picked up on as early as four years old.

All that changed when I was 12 years old. I had an incredible PE teacher called Mrs Daniel, who pulled out all the stops to get me active.

She invited the local wheelchair basketball team into my school to do a demonstration and introduced me to a whole world that I had no idea existed. I joined the team within a week of their visit, and – through them – tried every sport possible.

Hannah Cockcroft as a toddler, standing with the aid of a device at home, playing with toys stacked on an armchair
Doctors initially predicted that Hannah would never walk or live independently (Picture: Hannah Cockroft)

When I was 15, I was introduced to wheelchair racing, and the rest – as they say – is history.

I didn’t know when I started that this would be the sport that changed my life, I was just keen to show everyone what I was capable of instead of sitting on the sidelines. I quickly started spending every evening at the track, doing endless laps, just enjoying the newfound freedom and independence that wheelchair racing gave to me.

In the race chair, I didn’t have to ask anyone for help, and I wasn’t told to slow down or be careful. I was in charge of every push and every win for the first time in my life and I was hooked.

That was 17 years ago now, and I have trained six days a week, for 49 weeks of the year, every year since then. I’ve had the most incredible moments of my life because of wheelchair racing.

Hannah Cockroft of Team Great Britain poses for a photo after placing third in the Women's 800 Metres Wheelchair final during the London Athletics Meet, part of the 2023 Diamond League series at London Stadium.
I have trained six days a week, for 49 weeks of the year for 17 years (Picture: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

I still remember the moment I won my first Paralympic gold medal in the T34 100m at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Crossing the finish line and having the sea of 80,000 voices flood over me, filling me with so much love and support.

It was the greatest moment of my life.

Looking back now, it’s hard to reconcile that the one thing I was held back from for so long, is the thing that has changed my life in ways unimaginable. I have met Queen Elizabeth and King Charles, I have travelled the world, and I have even met McFly (a personal highlight!).

But not every child has a Mrs Daniel to help them find this path. Currently, 75% of disabled children in the school system do not take part in PE or sports regularly.

How – over 20 years on – can disabled children still be left sitting on the sidelines when Para athletes are now household names in the UK? Awareness, acceptance, and opportunity is growing, yet somehow, little in the school system has changed. 

This means thousands of disabled children are missing out on the Government recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity.

This is one of the reasons why – when approached by ParalympicsGB – I jumped at the chance to be a part of their ‘Equal Play’ documentary, which is to be aired on Channel 4 just before the start of my fourth Paralympic Games.

The documentary features 11-year-old Tammy and 14-year-old Marley, as we follow their fight against systemic barriers to discover the transformative power of sport.

This documentary is how I came across the heart-breaking home video of myself at four years old.

Want to know more?

Watch ‘Equal Play’ on Channel 4 Streaming. Channel 4’s comprehensive coverage of the Paralympics includes support of ParalympicsGB’s Every Body Moves, which you can find out more about on their website: https://everybodymoves.org.uk   

I hope four-year-old Hannah is proud of how far she’s come. Seeing the footage though makes me even more determined to ensure no other disabled child ever has to be isolated by their disability.

My performances on the track can only change that in a small way. Beyond that, we need schools to have the funding, equipment and training to ensure that no child is left behind when it comes to school sports.

We need more resources – like ParalympicsGB’s Get Set schools programme and their Every Body Moves website that enables disabled people across the UK to find inclusive activities near them, something so many people take for granted. And we need to listen to the voices and experiences of more children, like Tammy and Marley.

It feels like now – on the eve of the Paris 2024 Paralympics – is the perfect time to remind ourselves that sport can change lives, as well as improve health and confidence.

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It is not acceptable that only 25% of disabled children in this country get to regularly enjoy it. That has to change, and I hope that our athletes’ performances and this film can be a catalyst to help us do that.

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