HANNAH Cockroft MBE is celebrating having won gold again.
The double Paralympic wheelchair gold medalist has been awarded a prestigious Association of Colleges (AoC) Gold Award by Lord Willis of Knaresborough at the House of Commons.
Hannah, 20, was nominated by Calderdale College, where she studied for a Level 2 Sports Diploma in 2010/11 while training for the world championships and Paralympics.
Staff and students from the Halifax college attended the ceremony, held every year to celebrate the success of further education alumni and their colleges.
Hannah, who holds 21 world records , said: “It’s a massive honour to have won an AoC Gold Award following my successes in London.
“ Calderdale College was a huge stepping stone in my career, not only helping to build my knowledge in sport and helping to apply it to wheelchair racing, but also in helping me succeed in both my studies and my athletics dream.
“During my time at college, I was making my senior debut on the Great Britain Paralympic athletics team, becoming double world champion at my first IPC World Athletics Championships.
“My tutors worked closely with me to help me achieve a distinction diploma in sport, even though I had to take a large amount of time out.
“To now have myself and my college recognised for the hard work put in back in 2010/11 is fantastic. It wasn’t easy for me or my teachers when I was studying on the other side of the world, but we made it work and I couldn’t have won my double gold without their support.”
College principal Chris Jones said: “We are delighted that Hannah has been honoured by the AoC Gold Award.
“Hannah is an inspiration to college students and we are thrilled that the college could play a small part in her wonderful achievements.”
The college has selected Paige Costello for their ‘mini me’ campaign, which nominates a student who shows promise in a similar field to their Gold Award winner.
