COCKROFT’S GOLDEN NIGHT

Tearful athlete wins gold in London and vows, I’m not finished yet

HALIFAX’S Hannah Cockroft claimed her 10th world title and Great Britain team-mate Georgie Hermitage set a new world record at the World Para Athletics Championships in London.

Five-time Paralympic champion Cockroft won the women’s T34 400 metres for her third title at the 2017 championships while Hermitage triumphed in the T37 400m in a world record time of one minute and 0.29 seconds.

Cockroft has already won the T34 100m – in a world record time – and T34 800m and has never lost a race at a major championships.

Cockroft said: “I’m feeling really emotional. I even had a little cry. I was confident until yesterday when I got full of cold. When I came to the start line I felt like I had nothing to put into the race.

“All the way round I was thinking ‘I can hear the girls coming. I’m not going fast enough, I’m not going fast enough.’ So to get that result when I was feeling like this is such a relief.

“This is my 10th world title but that hasn’t really sunk in yet. I’m so used to taking each race as it comes. Every time I put on this top it’s still a massive honour to come and represent Britain and British Athletics.

“But I’m not finished yet. My motivation was out there, those two young girls right at my back. They are the reason I train.

“I want to prove I can still go fast. I just want to keep going out there. I want to prove I can keep going a little while longer.”

Hermitage defended her world title after winning in Doha two years ago and added to her T37 100m Rio gold from last year’s Paralympics.

She said: “I am so relieved. That feels like a really long straight out there and I was totally spent by the end. I wasn’t sure at all about the time so was very surprised to see it was a world record.

“It’s so unbelievable, it’s been such a difficult time for me this season so I just decided to go out there and give it my best shot.

“It just shows that with the right training and support you can improve. I knew I had to go out hard and felt I did that. I was back on the track for my first race of the championships and I just went in to autopilot.

Great Britain’s Kare Adenegan, 16, also claimed bronze behind Cockroft in the T34 400m.

Kyron Duke picked up silver in the F41 shot put while Stephen Miller won bronze in the F32 club throw, Richard Chiassaro took bronze in the men’s T45 400m as did Isaac Towers in the T34 800m.