HURRICANE HANNAH AGAIN BLOWS AWAY HER OPPONENTS IN TOKYO
BLOODIED but still not beaten Hannah Cockroft powered to yet another Paralympic gold - and then admitted she was “gutted” to miss her own world record, writes James Toney of Sportsbeat in Tokyo.
There is no pleasing some people but class act Cockroft, right, is often in a race with herself at these Games, banking her seventh career gold with a victory in the T34 800m at a rainy Olympic Stadium.
As close as it can be to a wheelchair racing certainty, Cockroft almost didn’t make the start line after catching herself in the spokes of her chair during warm-up, competing with her right hand heavily bandaged.
But as Tropical Storm Mirinae made landfall in Tokyo, there was just no stopping Hurricane Hannah, who took nearly 12 seconds off her Paralympic record from five years ago in a time of 1:48.99, one tenth off her world best from earlier this year.
“I’m absolutely gutted,” joked Cockroft, 29, who trains at Loughborough University.
“I was so close to that world record, I couldn’t have got closer if I’d tried.
“I’m really happy with gold but I’m obviously a bit frustrated I couldn’t quite squeeze under that time.
“I did that time in Switzerland on the fastest track in the world, so to come here and nearly replicate it on a rainy day, I’ve got to be proud.
“I put my hand through the wheel while the chair was moving, I’ve never ever done that but I decided to do it today. It was pretty bloody but it’s fine.
“The doctors were leaning towards pulling me out but I was ‘no way’. Even if my hand had fallen off I was going to be on that start line.”
Team-mate Kare Adenegan took silver but she was over nine seconds behind, Cockroft taking the lead from the gun and relentlessly building an advantage that was quickly insurmountable.
It meant a double gold in Tokyo for Cockroft who also won the T34 100m.
Meanwhile, Ali Smith admitted she was still in dreamland after her Paralympic relay silver.
Smith claims her career has been revolutionised since joining forces with Benke Blomkvist’s crack team of sprinters at Loughborough.
And she helped Jonnie Peacock, Libby Clegg and Nathan Maguire win their universal 4x100m medal, but admitted those exertions took their toll as she finished eighth in the T38 400m final.
“To be in the same team as Jonnie Peacock and Libby Clegg was a once in a lifetime experience, it was scary, insane and so fun,” she said.
“It’s unbelievable to have a silver medal to show for all the hard work of recent months, it’s beyond my expectations and it’s really motivated me for the future.”