Cockroft targets gold next year as Paralympics are put back

HALIFAX PARALYMPIAN Hannah Cockroft is already setting her sights on Tokyo 2021 after it was confirmed this year’s Olympics and Paralympics had been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The event, due to begin on 24 July, will now take place “no later than summer 2021”.

“It’s what you don’t want to hear but you knew it was going to happen,” she said.

“Even though you expect it you’re still a bit shocked and upset to hear it.

“I’ll keep training anyway, there’s not much else I can do at the moment!

“I’ve got some rollers for my chair and bits and pieces of training equipment, so I’m just trying to carry on as normal.”

The postponement of the Games could have a huge knockon effect for Cockroft’s schedule for the foreseeable future.

“We’ve got the European Championships in Poland in June, which I’m expecting to be cancelled, and then there’s the Muller Anniversary Games in July,” she said.

“So there are still meets to train for. But it’s a bit weird being an athlete and not having any ultimate goals to work towards.

“But I’ve not had a summer off in 12 years though so that’s nice!

“Everything is very uncertain at the moment. I’m ringing my coach every day telling him the news, and we’re having to replan every day.

“The World Championships are in Japan next August so they’re going to have to work out if they can fit both that and the Olympics in the schedule.

“It’s sad because it means the amount of titles I can potentially win in my career is fewer now.

“But everyone is going to remember these Games next year so I’d like to go out there and win at them.”