Hannah Cockroft A Star is Born Hannah Cockroft was born on 30th July 1992 in Halifax, West . Shortly after she was born, Hannah suffered two cardiac arrests, which left her with brain damage. As a result, her hips were weakened and her legs and feet were deformed. Her doctors said that she would be very ill all her life but Hannah had true fighting spirit and very supportive parents to help her. Hannah’s parents worked hard to help her get mobile and encouraged her interest in sport. She took part in lots of physical activity, including dance. Hannah was the first disabled student at her school and she got top grades.

Photo courtesy of Dave Moore (@flickr.com) - Significant Success granted under creative commons licence – attribution When she was 13 years old, Hannah began to play for the Cardinals basketball team. At the age of 15, she represented Yorkshire in both wheelchair basketball and seated discus. She tried wheelchair racing at a UK Athletics talent day and loved it. She has taken part in the 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m wheelchair races.

In 2010, she broke her first world record in the 400m. She now holds world records for 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m. In June 2010, she broke seven world records in eight days. This shows true grit and determination. Hannah has a lot of stamina and a Interesting Facts About Hannah Cockroft fierce drive to be the best. • Hannah used to be a Sunday The London 2012 were a school teacher. great experience for Hannah. She won double • She is very superstitious. gold medals and broke four Paralympic records for the 100m and 200m wheelchair races. After • She paints her nails to match her kit or the Paralympics, she was named on the Queen’s her chair before every race. New Year’s Honours list and awarded an MBE. She • Her ambition is to be unbeatable. also received the freedom of upon her return from the games. • She can play the violin. In 2012, Hannah was named the Federation of • Hannah was a member of the Disability Sports Sportswoman of the Year. Halifax Young Singers. At the Rio Paralympics in 2016, Hannah won gold • She has completed the Duke of in the 100m, 400m and 800m. She is the world Edinburgh Bronze Award. record holder in the T34 100m, with a time of • Gold postboxes in Halifax and Mount 17.31 seconds, the 200m with 30.51 seconds, the Tabor, Yorkshire, celebrate Hannah’s 400m with 59.42 seconds and the 800m with 1 Paralympic wins at London 2012. minute and 56.89 seconds.