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Nine-time Paralympic gold medal winner Hannah Cockroft says she is “far from done” following more success at the Paris 2024 Games.
Cockroft finished in front of team-mate Kare Adenegan in the T34 800 metres final to claim her second gold title in Paris, following earlier success in the T34 100m, taking her overall career tally to nine.
Victory for the 32-year-old means she has finished on top of the podium in the 100m and 800m at every Paralympics since London 2012.
Even though the Paralympics has just finished, she is already eyeing up Los Angeles.
Speaking at the National Lottery Paralympics homecoming in Birmingham, she told the PA news agency: “The feeling of gold medals will never ever get old.
“Nine of these, if you’d have told me 20 years ago that this is what I would have achieved, I’d have never believed, but I am far from done yet.
“I definitely want to try and get double figures. I feel I have so much to learn, I’ve got so many things I need to improve on so there’s definitely more to give.”
Paris was absolutely incredible and everything I hoped it would be and more— Hannah Cockroft
Cockroft came home in front of the chasing pack to help Team GB to a total of 20 medals on the final Saturday of the Games.
She did it in emphatic fashion, taking the triumph in one minute and 55.44 seconds, eight seconds in front of Adenegan in second spot for a British one-two.
Cockroft was delighted with ParalympicsGB’s efforts in Paris.
She added: “It makes me so proud to be a member of Team GB, we are the best team and a power to be dealt with.
“We went there and we showed everyone how good we are, we put down incredible performances. It’s so empowering when you go into your race and hear the celebrations from team-mates around you, it pushes you on, like ‘I want that feeling’.
“Paris was absolutely incredible and everything I hoped it would be and more.
“I think there was so much worry going into the Games whether we would sell tickets or whether people would come and watch us, but to have that was amazing and made the gold medals feel even more special.
“Especially that last night, the Saturday night, getting in the stadium in front of 70,000 people – a full stadium – it’s what you dream about when you’re a little girl.”
Cockroft will complete her celebrations when she gets married to fellow Team GB Paralympian Nathan Maguire.
She said: “We get married in three weeks so that’s kind of our distraction right now, maybe while we are celebrating.
“That’ll be a great celebration too. This year has been a lot; world championships, Paralympics and a wedding.
“If I could give my younger self one bit of advice, it would be don’t put a wedding on a Paralympic year.
“It is a rush around right now ticking the boxes but I think we are on top of it and it’ll be all worth it.”
