Wheelchair racer Hannah Cockroft wore the widest smile in the Olympic Stadium after storming to Paralympic gold – and then correctly declared she would do the sprint double.
Cockroft destroyed the field and the Paralympic record eight years ago as she roared to victory in the T34 100 metres in front of a noisy home support in London.
She had the race won by halfway as she crossed the line in 18.06 seconds, almost one-and-a-half seconds clear of her closest rival, Holland’s Amy Siemons.
The Halifax athlete, who has cerebral palsy, had already broken the Paralympic record in qualifying earlier in the day and immediately targeted another gold medal in the 200m.
“I’m going to get two – that’s really big-headed,” Cockroft said.
Six days later she duly won her second gold in the 200m, finishing more than two seconds clear of her nearest rival.
