12 December 2018

Cox is ready to get back on the bike at Track World Cup

Paralympic gold medallist Kadeena Cox will get back on the bike for the first time since the 2016 Rio Games this weekend.

It will also be her debut event in London as she competes at the UCI Track Cycling World Cup.

The competition at Lee Valley VeloPark has been opened-up to para-athletes for the first time and Cox, 27, can’t wait to be there racing against and alongside the world’s best.

“It’s really exciting we have been brought in and are being included,” she said. “As always Great Britain are doing a great thing in leading the way for that.

“It’s kind of a follow on from the London games and we continue to try and get disability sport recognised, push it and allow people to see more of it.

“It’s important for us as athletes and I’m really looking forward to being involved in that competition.

“I’ve never raced in London and I know it’s such an iconic venue, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

Kadeena Cox with her cycling gold medal at the Rio Paralympics

Injury recovery

As well as Cox winning gold in the C4-5 time-trial on the bike in Brazil, she was also successful in the 400m as she won gold in the T38 classification.

She is keeping the two disciplines going in the Tokyo paralympiad but has been sidelined from both since December last year due to a knee injury.

It was the longest layoff of Cox’s career and it saw her forced to miss the Commonwealth Games in Australia earlier this year, where she had been due to compete in the T38 100m.

She was also absent from the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in March, where she had planned to make a return to the bike.

Cox said: “It’s hard being away from something you are so used to. Being away from the people you are used to be being around day in, day out is hard.

“I didn’t watch the Commonwealth Games at all because I was supposed to be there and obviously I was unable to do that.

“Watching the Track World Championships wasn’t possible, I just had to avoid it because it was so straining and frustrating.”

Kadeena Cox and athletics teammate Sophie Hahn

Back on the bike

Cox got back on the bike about seven weeks ago and has been ramping up her training to get ready for the World Cup this weekend.

She is part a 14-strong Great Britain squad for the competition, which includes eight other Paralympic gold medallists such as Dame Sarah Storey, Helen Scott and Sophie Thornhill.

The athlete has spent most of her year on the sidelines finishing a physiotherapy degree at Manchester Metropolitan University, which she completed this summer.

Kadeena Cox with her medals from Rio

Aiming for Track World Cup glory

But now her eyes are back on the track and making sure she is at her best, using some of the knowledge from her degree.

“I thought getting on the bike would be easy, but it was not as easy as I thought it would be,” Cox said.

“Physically and mentally it’s hard to be a full-time athlete, especially for two sports. I’m getting my head back into a place where I’m constantly on it for sessions.

“Having to be so organised and fitting in all the training I need for both but also thinking about the fatigue aspect of my condition and managing that.

“Obviously, physios are the worst at taking their own advice so I’m not the best at treating myself.

“It has been tricky recovering from injury but it has been made easier by the fact I understand what’s going on, especially with this injury because it was such a big one.

“I’ve been really careful and tried to do everything I could do to get the body right so I could be back as soon as possible.”

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