SaqHannah Cockroft has said the Olympic champions’ £38,000 bonus will cover the cost of her upcoming wedding as she called for financial parity after her latest Paralympic triumph.
Wheelchair racer Cockroft gave Britain their first athletics gold medal of Paris 2024 with an easy victory in the women’s 100m T34 final at the Stade de France.
The 32-year-old’s stunning victory – on a day that saw Team GB win a remarkable 12 gold medals – was the eighth Paralympic title of her glittering career, maintaining the unbeaten run she began at London 2012.
Cockroft is due to defend her 800m crown on Saturday before marrying fellow British Paralympian Nathan Maguire in her hometown of Halifax next month.
She admitted that seeing her Olympic counterparts receiving lucrative bonuses from World Athletics for similar achievements to hers was “frustrating”.
“I’m really lucky, for these Games I have incredible sponsors behind me who are giving me medal bonuses, it’s the first time I’ll have medal bonuses from sponsors, so it’s a huge step forward,” she said.
“It’s not thousands, it’s money. But yes, it’s hard to see Olympic athletes get money from World Athletics and then we can’t respond, it’s frustrating.
“That would really allow me to pay for my wedding quite well.
“Ultimately, I do this because I love it. We want parity and that’s what we strive for every time.”
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe announced in April that Olympic athletics gold medallists in Paris would receive US$50,000 (just over £38,000) in prize money.
Cockroft continued her dominance of the Paralympic competition by crossing the line in 16.8 seconds, comfortably ahead of compatriot Kare Adenegan, who took silver in 17.99 seconds.
The 16-time world champion moved within three gold medals of Britain’s greatest wheelchair racer, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson.
“We are incredibly fortunate, we are the only country in the world to have equal support from the National Lottery, UK Sport and our governing body,” she continued.
“So we can’t miss that. A lot of countries tell us how lucky we are to have that, but you know, a little bit more would be nice.”
As tens of thousands of fans cheered on the athletes in Saint-Denis, Cockroft felt the track vibrate before producing another devastating display.
She hailed the event as the closest she has come to making her Paralympic debut on home soil 12 years ago.
“Listen to that noise, that’s what we do this for, that support, it’s just incredible. I still can’t wipe that smile off my face,” she said, after a poor turnout at Rio 2016 and a closed-door event in Tokyo.
“My wheels were vibrating because of the noise and that’s what we worked on.
“For 12 years this is what we wanted and I knew Paris could do it and I’m so glad they did.
“It took me back 12 years, because the last time I felt that way was in London in 2012.”
Shot putter Sabrina Fortune then won Britain’s first gold medal in the field events by breaking her own world record in the women’s F20 final.
The 27-year-old Welsh athlete threw 15.12 metres, 0.29m more than she managed six weeks ago in Birmingham.
Fortune said of the world record: “I still can’t believe it, especially the first throw. Just one throw and then I broke the world record and I wanted to jump for joy and celebrate at that moment.”
“It’s something I’m very proud to have been able to do and it’s just incredible.”
Scottish wheelchair racer Sammi Kinghorn won silver in the women’s T53 800m in one minute 42.96 seconds.
Cockroft’s fiancée Maguire, 27, was second fastest in qualifying for the men’s T54 400m but finished fourth in the final.
Saq
