THE WEDDING IS THREE WEEKS AFTER MY FINAL RACE

Athletes Hannah Cockroft and Nathan Maguire have more than the Paralympics to celebrate this year, as they're planning to get married after they return from Paris

- MITYA UNDERWOOD

The fact that Hannah Cockroft and her fiancé Nathan Maguire are tying the knot a few weeks after competing at this year’s Paralympics says a lot about the couple – they’re nothing if not determined. And if the wedding date wasn’t enough proof, there’s also their jam-packed medal cabinet, which includes no fewer than seven Paralympic golds, a Paralympic silver, and close to 30 European, Commonwealth and World Championships medals.

The pair, who recently filmed a Path To Paris: Paralympic Dreams documentary episode for Channel 4, are now in Paris, having transported their “entire lives”, Nathan says, from rural Cheshire to France. Hannah, 32, will be competing in the 100m and 800m races, while Nathan, 27, will fight for a medal in the 400m, 800m and 1,500m.

After that, it’s back to being “Cheshire’s Paralympic power couple” and the final preparations for their big day on 5 October.

“The wedding is three weeks after my final race and yes, we planned it like this, and yes, it was probably rather stupid. There’s nothing like a bit of pressure,” Hannah laughs. “But if we perform how we want to in Paris, the wedding will just be the best celebration. And even if we don’t do what we want to do in the races, we’ll still be ending the year on a high.”

This year’s Paralympics will be a different experience for the couple, who competed in empty stadiums at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021 due to Covid-19 restrictions.