This article was first published in September 2024.
ParalympicsGB gold medallist, Kadeena Cox has achieved the coveted top spot on the podium after winning the C1-5 750m team sprint in the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
It's been a whirlwind for Kadeena who came sixth in the women鈥檚 C4-5 500m time trial, slipping and crashing off her bike shortly after setting off in the event. While it was a disappointment for Cox, who described it as a "nightmare I can't wake up from," she remains thankful for having the chance to compete at Paris: "The fact that I got here was amazing in itself."
Kadeena is now ending her 2024 Paralympic journey with a smile on her face and a medal round her neck.
Managing a sport career with an unpredictable disability or long term health condition can add another level of complexity for athletes. Speaking on her injury after her crash at Paris, Cox explained her anguish: "Riding can鈥檛 always be perfect. I think I overcompensated and just couldn鈥檛 balance on my weaker side.鈥 Her time at Paris "has felt like a rollercoaster, I guess that's just multiple sclerosis."
Cox, 33, has been in the Para sport world since the 2015 Para Athletics World Championships in Doha. This is the first year where she has focused entirely on Para cycling, compared to the previous two Paralympic Games, where she competed in both track athletics and Para cycling.
Super Movers for Every Body spoke with Kadeena to reflect on her "long old journey" to get to where she is today.
Kadeena began sprinting competitively in non-disabled sport at 15-years-old, but in 2014 aged 23, she experienced a stroke and was later diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. After her diagnosis, Kadeena鈥檚 love for sport pulled her through: 鈥淚 still love sport, I want to do sport, so I鈥檓 going to do everything in my power to do that.鈥
Transitioning to Para sport required 鈥渉aving to try and manage a body that now didn't do what I wanted it to do all the time,鈥 and Kadeena almost quit Para athletics in her first year. Looking back, she said: 鈥淭here were a few things to have to get my head around physically and mentally. I was having to think about how much training I can do, how much I can push myself, having to figure out how to neutralise and access the strength in my right side because it is worse than my left side.鈥
It was when Kadeena won gold at the World Championships in 2015 that she decided to keep going: 鈥淚 managed to get back from being diagnosed to being a champion within a year, which was pretty impressive, if I do say so myself!鈥 Despite being told numerous times she would never be able to compete in two sports at an elite level, Kadeena has become a household name in Para athletics and Para cycling, and she鈥檚 proven any doubters wrong on a world scale having medalled in both Para cycling and Para athletics at the 2016 and 2020 Paralympic Games:
I don't let anyone tell me that I can't do something!鈥 - Kadeena Cox
Despite countless medals and global success in sport, Cox believes her own self-doubt might have been a hinderance in the early stages of a career, but it has also shaped the woman she is today: 鈥淚 had to advocate for myself from the word go and I probably could have been so much further along if I didn't have all those nerves, but it made me a tough cookie.鈥
Kadeena feels there's progress still to be made in the Para sport world, especially with how athletes are perceived: 鈥淎s a disabled person we don't have to be limited, people want to tell you what we can't do all the time. Para athletes should be viewed at the same level as non-disabled athletes鈥e鈥檙e called 'disabled athletes' as opposed to just athletes.鈥
Kadeena also spoke about the importance of getting the next generation of children into inclusive sports, and how crucial initiatives like Super Movers for Every Body are.
Recalling her time at school, Kadeena remembers her disabled friend being told to sit out of a sports activity because of her disability and thinking just how wrong that felt for someone to miss out on sport, and for it not to have been adapted to suit her friend鈥檚 needs.
The Para cyclist believes the online resources available on the Super Movers for Every Body website can help disabled pupils become more involved in sport activities as it 鈥渆mpowers the teachers to allow the kids to advocate for themselves.鈥
The 33-year-old suggests that any child interested in getting involved in disability sport should go to their local sports organisations and try out different sports: 鈥淵ou'll find the sport that fits you rather than necessarily like you fit in sport, but when you're young enjoyment is the most important thing. You'll naturally find what you love, and if you love it in the beginning it makes it easier when you're old like me!鈥
To find a Para sport club in your area, check out our helpful guide on how to get into Paralympic sports which includes details of organisations and initiatives providing a range of activities to try.
