Hahn still striving for more despite European Championship gold in Berlin
She is a world, Olympic, Commonwealth and European champion but still the motivation burns brightly for Sophie Hahn after another successful outing in Berlin.
The Charnwood sprinter secured 200m gold earlier in the week but it was the defence of her T38 100m crown that really dominated focus at the World Para Athletics European Championships.
Duly obliging, Hahn ran a Championship record 12.52 seconds and still had enough energy to help Great Britain reach the universal relay final, barely an hour after stepping off track.
An unprecedented treble is therefore still on for the Grand Slam winner – still only 21 – with the incentive for more far from lacking with the two-year countdown to the next Paralympic Games now under way.
“I just wanted to win the race and I am so happy I defended my title,” she said.
“For me, I love training and working hard. I work so hard on the track and in the gym. I want to keep getting better and keep retaining titles.
“People are catching up so I need to stay ahead of the game and that comes by taking each year at a time, I’d love to keep getting stronger and that comes with winning more titles.
“It’s so good that I’ve been in the team for six years, I’m still only 21 but it’s great to be there having come through.
“We’ve got a fantastic team and I like to try and help the younger ones coming through and to try and be an inspiration for the next generation.”
Should a third medal come her way in Berlin it wouldn’t be one Hahn earns on her own, with the universal relay making its debut at the European Championships.
Four racers from each nation compete with a mixture of different disabilities, ranging from visual impairments to amputees, those with cerebral palsy and also wheelchair racers.
The British team safely made it to the final having outpaced Germany in their heat, with Hahn tapping the chair of Dillon Labrooy, who eased to the line to confirm their progression.
“The relay was exciting. It was quite hard because we have only had one practice but it was great fun, I really enjoyed it and I can’t wait to repeat it again,” added Hahn, who has cerebral palsy.
“In the warm-up it went really well and we managed to do that on the track as well which is great, it’s so exciting and we can’t wait to go again in the final.
“It’s great fun, the changeovers were really good and it’s a nice way to be able to end my Championships with two gold medals already secured.”
British Athletics works alongside UK Sport and the National Lottery to support the delivery of success at the world’s most significant sporting events, principally the Olympic and Paralympic Games. They do this via the funded initiative, the World Class Programme, one part of the British Athletics pathway.
