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Hannah Cockroft OBE shares an idyllic view of her childhood bedroom, how her snoozing space has changed over time, and why plentiful rest is a superpower she's using to prepare for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
4 Min Read
Last Modified 14 August 2024 First Added 9 August 2024
Hannah Cockroft OBE. World record holder. Seven-time Paralympic gold medallist. If that wasn’t enough, she’s also fanatical about getting her eight hours of shuteye.
As one of the most decorated Paralympians of modern times and a world-class wheelchair racer, Hannah understands what it takes to push yourself to peak physical performance. In this exclusive article, our proud Dreams Ambassador tells all about her need for quality rest and quiet reflection as she prepares to put her body through its paces at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
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‘My first memory of being a Paralympian was probably watching Beijing in 2008. I’d been wheelchair racing for about six months before that, and I just remember my dad saying, “You’re doing this sport now. If you watch the telly, you’ll learn.”
‘So that’s what I did, day in, day out. I watched every single race, and just thought, “That could be me one day, I could be in that stadium.” And… dreams come true!’
‘As a kid, when I was very young, I didn’t do sport at all, so my heroes were, very traditionally, the pop stars! I was a massive Steps fan when I was little. Then as I grew, it very much became just the people that were in my life.
‘My hero for a long time, and really still is, was my basketball coach. He was the person who introduced me to this whole world of para-sport that I had no idea about, and essentially, the person who changed my life.’
‘My childhood bedroom, in that period when I was starting out in sport, it was very girly. It was pink and purple, and had a little red love heart rug.
‘I remember sitting in there and just feeling so warm and cosy as it was pouring down outside, as it normally is on a Yorkshire day.
‘For me, that’s what it was; a space to just relax, to switch off. I was starting to train every single day alongside school, so life was quite full on, and it was my space to escape from all that and just be myself with my thoughts.’
‘My current bedroom is probably the furthest from my childhood bedroom that it could be!
‘It’s a very calming space. It’s normally a mess, there are normally a lot of clothes hanging around. But you know what, it’s my favourite room in the house when I’ve tidied it… it just doesn’t stay that way for long!’
‘It [my bedroom] still represents a place where I can go and just kind of shut away from the world and be myself.
‘I can go there, I can get ready, I can wear all the clothes that are just thrown around the room, and be Hannah the athlete, but then also be whoever else Hannah wants to be.’
‘My ideal bedroom routine is to have a shower after training, wash my hair, dry my hair, and then just get into bed, normally with a hot water bottle. I like to be nice and cosy and read a book.
‘I really like the time to switch my mind off, put my phone away, and I definitely sleep better when I do that, if time allows.’
‘I think a good sleep routine is essential for me. I am an eight- or nine-hour sleeper. I need sleep, partly because of my disability, I fatigue a lot quicker than others, but also we’re pushing our bodies really hard in training or competitions every single day. Going to sleep is my time to just stop.’
‘Sleep is the most important thing for performance. It’s well known amongst athletes that recovery is just as important as the training that you do, and sleep is the only time that I really force myself to take that recovery. So, leave me in bed all day – I’m happy!’
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