Sprinter Jonnie Peacock thinks it’s a fighting spirit, the magic ingredient it takes to become an athlete worthy of competing in the Paralympic Games. Long jumper Zak Skinner believes it’s grit and determination — a resilience to pain — that gives para-athletes like him their unique mindset.
Wheelchair racer Hannah Cockroft believes it’s more nuanced, the concept of pain when you’re a Paralympian. Yes, the training can be agony and has brought her her fair share of injuries in the 12 years since she competed in her first Games in 2012. But the sport also offered a distraction from the pain, too, in many ways. “I think I’d be in a lot more pain if I wasn’t in the race chair every day,” the seven-time Paralympic champion says ahead of the start of her her fourth Paralympic Games, kicking off in Paris next week.
