​British Paralympian Hannah Cockcroft joked that she was on a mission to make her name “as long as possible” after receiving an honorary degree from Leeds Beckett University. The nine-time Paralympic champion credited the university’s facilities with playing a significant part in her success, a career that has seen the 100m and 800m sprinter collect an additional 17 world titles. The Halifax-born athlete praised the university, saying: “Everything that they’ve offered me has been second to none, and to have that team behind me, their amazing brains and facilities — everything has been a massive help to me.” Ten weeks after giving birth to a daughter, Cockcroft said she was already looking ahead to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
Cockcroft was among several Yorkshire figures honoured with degrees, including former Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield. In her 14th year of competition, she described the ongoing challenge of finding the margins to win on a regular basis. “So much has changed; the chairs are getting more advanced every year, and it’s tough to keep up with,” she noted. She highlighted the support from engineers and sports scientists at Leeds Beckett, who helped her evolve her approach. “It’s all the things that I don’t know [and] don’t understand. You need those amazing brains to help translate that knowledge, and knowing that all those people were cheering me on when I won another World Championship is extra special,” she said.
This season has begun quieter than usual for the athlete, largely due to her daughter’s arrival. Rosie was born ten weeks ago, and Cockcroft said she discovered she was pregnant while at the World Championships in New Delhi last year. “That was a shock to everyone. We didn’t actually tell anybody, just the team doctor, so it was a tough secret to keep while you’re throwing up every morning,” she recalled. She is gradually reintegrating exercise and trying to harmonize Rosie’s schedule with her career, noting that stepping back from racing has been “really nice.”
Cockcroft also found inspiration in fellow British Olympian Jessica Ennis-Hill, who became a mother and later claimed gold at the 2015 World Championships. “It kind of gives me a little fire in my belly. It’s a new challenge, almost like wiping the slate clean. I’ve got a different life and a little girl to prove that she can come back from anything. I really want to set her a good example and show her what I can do,” she added.
The Paralympian spoke during Leeds Beckett University’s Carnegie School of Education ceremony, where more than 10,000 students graduated. Cockcroft urged the graduates to say yes to opportunities, recalling that when she first encountered wheelchair racing, she was not entirely convinced. “I was like ‘absolutely not, that looks so uncomfortable,’ and yet, look where I am now.”