Paralympics GB’s Golden Couple Lift Lid On Marriage Plans After Paris Medal Rush
Hannah Cockroft and Nathan Maguire will tie the knot this autumn and the track stars hope they can show off shiny medals from Paralympics to their nearest and dearest
Hannah Cockroft will marry Nathan Maguire three weeks after the Paralympics with the golden couple hoping to have several new medals to show off.The first time Nathan Maguire met his soon-to-be wife, he asked for an autograph before throwing it in the bin.
Retelling the story still brings a smile to Hannah Cockroft’s face now as ParalympicGB’s golden couple prepare for a dizzying few weeks. Not long after becoming a star of London 2012 Cockroft was the big-name guest at a youth talent event to which Maguire was invited.
Little did they know that a few years later, when Maguire joined the British set up for Rio 2016, they would form a friendship that quickly blossomed into lifelong commitment
“She was there to give an inspiring speech,” Maguire, 27, recalls, just a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
“I was one of the 20 lucky ones selected to meet her and I got her to sign my accreditation pass. But I’d like to say I did it because everyone else was doing it.”
“Zac [Shaw, one of their team-mates] kept his, so …,” Cockroft, 32, interjects. “Well I don’t need it, do I? I can get your autograph whenever I want,” Maguire shoots back.
“It probably didn’t make it home, did it?” I’ve no idea but I know I threw it out.”
This back and forth seems standard as they sit side-by-side at their dining table, taking turns to speak with the fluency of a relay team passing the baton. But they are quick to admit this period is proving far more stressful than anticipated.
Three weeks after departing the City of Love, they will tie the knot in front of more than 100 of their nearest and dearest.
Nathan Maguire is hoping to win his first individual medal in Paris. “It’s going,” is Maguire’s succinct summary of wedding planning. “It felt like a really good idea at the time,” Cockroft says. “Now it feels like the worst idea we’ve ever had.”
Cockroft is boarding the Eurostar as one of the Games’ most dominant stars, with seven golds to her name, while Maguire is still looking for his first individual medal having earned a relay silver in Tokyo.
An 800m bronze at the recent world championships has bolstered his confidence. But they agree that their relationship has enabled both to become better athletes.
While they train for different distances and are part of separate coaching set-ups, much of their work on the track overlaps – much like their conversation.
“It’s really good,” Cockroft says. “If I’m working on something with my technique, he’s there to watch it.” Maguire adds: “It allows us to bounce ideas off each other. We’ve become better athletes together.”
“Sometimes at the end of a session you just want someone there to tell you that you looked good,” Cockroft says. “We’re always near each other.”
Hannah Cockroft is one of the most decorate Paralympians of all time. They feature as a double act in a Channel 4 documentary that airs on Sunday, telling the stories of five athletes heading to Paris next week.
“I’m really hopeful it highlights how hard we work,” Cockroft says. “There’s a misconception that Paralympians pop out every four years and go around a track before going back into their box.”
Maguire adds: “What I liked is there wasn’t too much emphasis on the back story. A lot of the time as parathletes, the violins are on in the background and it’s, ‘What happened to him?’
“But this is more focused on our journey as athletes rather than our pasts. We’re not being seen as charity cases, we’re being seen as elite athletes.”
National Lottery has invested more than £300 million in grassroots and elite sport. Path to Paris: Paralympic Dreams, featuring Hannah Cockroft and Nathan Maguire, is on Channel 4 on Sunday at 4.55pm.
