6th June 2024
COCKROFT OPENS 2024 SWISS MEET WITH DOUBLE SUCCESS
The first day of the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Nottwil, Switzerland got underway on Thursday [6 June] with several wheelchair racers in action over 200m and 800m.
Fresh from her triple medal haul at the World Para Athletics Championships in Japan last month, Hannah Cockroft (Paul Moseley, Leeds) got her Swiss series off to a flyer with a time of 30.09 (-0.1) to win the T34 200m.
Behind her, GB & NI’s Fabienne Andre (Richard Chiassaro, Harlow) was embroiled in a battle with America’s Eva Houston for second, but she was just edged out in a time of 33.69 to Houston’s 33.41.
The British duo returned for the 800m later in the day, again, Cockroft sealing victory with the same top three as in the 200m. Cockroft led it out and pushed home in a time of 1:53.02, narrowly outside the World Championship record she set on her way to her global title in Kobe.
Five seconds separated Andre from Houston on this occasion, the American second in 2:04.88 to the Briton’s 2:09.91.
In her first track races since Dubai earlier in the year, Sammi Kinghorn (Rodger Harkins, Red Star) continued to look in supreme form as she clocked 1:42.91 for a narrow second behind Catherine Debrunner (SUI) in the T53 800m.
In the highly anticipated men’s T54 800m, home favourite Marcel Hug (SUI) came out on top in a rapid 1:30.91 which pulled the field around to some fast times. World bronze medallist Nathan Maguire (Steve Hoskins, Kirkby AC) took off from where he left off in Kobe to a superb second in a time of 1:31.26 to beat some big names in a stacked field.
Close behind in fourth was David Weir (Jenny Archer, Weir Archer Academy) who continues to impress on the track as he recorded a time of 1:32.05. Danny Sidbury (Christine Parsloe, Sutton & District) was the third Briton across the line in the same race in seventh in 1:32.98.
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