Halifax Paralympian Hannah Cockroft inspiring people to exercise at home

Halifax's Paralympic star is encouraging people to exercise at home as the country goes through its third lockdown.
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Hannah Cockroft MBE holds five Paralympic gold medals, as well as multiple world records and world championship titles.

Now the wheelchair sprinter is one of 22 elite English athletes taking part in a video series encouraging people to exercise at home as the country goes through its third lockdown.

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‘Hurricane Hannah’ as she is known, demonstrates tricep kickbacks, using bottles of water as weights, to mimic the movement of wheelchair racing, with the aim to inspire members of the public, across Yorkshire and the UK to replicate at home.

Halifax's Hannah CockroftHalifax's Hannah Cockroft
Halifax's Hannah Cockroft

Hannah said: "We all know how important it is to keep our bodies and minds as healthy as we can right now but being stuck at home can be challenging."

"Even just a small dose of exercise every day will not only keep you fit, but it will leave you feeling energised and will do wonders for your mental health too.

"I hope that people see our #22for22 videos and feel inspired to move their bodies. Workouts don’t need to be complicated, it’s often the simplest exercises that are the best for us."

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Hannah's video is part of the series entitled #22for22, set up by Birmingham 2022 and Team England, alongside other recognisable faces from different Commonwealth sports.

Each athlete demonstrates a simple exercise which can be done from the comfort of home, including workouts that don’t require equipment or that use items found around the house.

Last year, it was announced the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham will have the biggest para sport programme in Commonwealth Games history.

It also confirmed that Birmingham 2022 will be the first time that Hannah’s T34 100m event has been included in a Commonwealth Games.

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Ian Reid, the chief executive for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, said: "Stepping outside for our daily exercise is so important right now, but there are certain scenarios when this might not possible.

"Perhaps you’re having to self-isolate, or even the mid-winter weather stops you from getting out, so it’s just as important that we remember to stay active while we stay at home too.

"Who better to get inspiration from than a Team England athlete? I’d encourage people from all ages and abilities to give these exercises a go. I’m certainly looking forward to trying them out."

Paul Blanchard, the chief executive for Commonwealth Games England , added: "We are so proud of the athletes taking part in the #22for22 campaign, encouraging their communities to join in and keep active during a time when it’s not easy to find motivation.

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"We’ve seen from events like London 2012 how the power of sport can bring the nation together and hope that Birmingham 2022 can have that impact as we build to what we’re sure will be an incredible home Games. We hope these exercises inspire you to get your kit on and try them out!”

Previously Hannah won gold in the T34 100m wheel chair sprint at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, and followed it up a week later with a second Paralympic title in the 200m.

Four years later, having dominated both distances in the intervening years, Hannah expanded her track programme and won three more gold medals in the T34 100m, 400m and 800m races in Rio.