Olympics Countdown: Q&A with Hannah Cockroft

What event are you taking part in?
I am a wheelchair racer on the Great Britain Paralympic Athletics team and I compete in the 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m distances.

How did you get into sports? How old were you?
I got into sports at secondary school, so I would have been about 12 years old. I joined the disabled sports club that they ran after school and started playing wheelchair basketball and doing the seated discus.

When I was 14 I went to the UK School Games and won a silver medal in the Under 17 discus. After that I was invited to a UK Athletics talent ID day at Loughborough University where I was introduced to Dr Ian Thompson. He let me have a go in his racing wheelchair and I absolutely loved it.
We kept in touch and i haven't looked back since.

What was your first ever job - and were you any good at it?
I've never had a proper job! I went straight from being a student into being a full time athlete. But I did get nine GCSEs, 4 A-levels and a diploma in sport.

If an MP3 player really could hold only three tunes, what would you select for the ultimate soundtrack to your life?
Mcfly - No Worries
Skepta - Hold on
David Guetta featuring Sia - Titanium

Who was your top teenage pin-up?
Mcfly! And they still cover the walls of my bedroom. I love them!

My teammates won't know this about me but....
I have different coloured eyes... one brown and one green!

Favourite book of all time?
P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern - such a beautiful book!

What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?
Those afraid of pain will never know glory.

What would be your chosen superpower?
Teleportation - so I wouldn't have to waste so much time travelling and I'd never be late again!

How would a typical school report about you read?
Hannah is a very bright student but needs to learn to stop talking in class!

My top tip for becoming an Olympian is...
Find a sport you love. If you don't love it, you won't have the motivation to get up every morning and do it. You need to enjoy your sport to go far, as then you will give it your all.

What's the most annoying thing your teammates do?
Some of the other athletes have the worst diet in the world, so they'll sit there eating a pizza and ice cream while I have my chicken and broccoli and they'll still demolish their competition. So unfair!

My last supper would comprise...
Lots of carbs! At the moment, I'm on a low carb diet, so no bread, pasta, rice. No nice food! So my last supper would be spaghetti bolognese and a massive chocolate cake!

Who has been the most influential person in your life to date?
In sport, my biggest inspiration is Chantal Petitclerc. She is the most decorated female paralympian ever with 15 gold medals to her name. She's now a coach on the GB team and she is a huge idol of mine.

In everyday life I have two friends, Josie Pearson and Melissa Nicholls. They are both wheelchair racers now but they became disabled through different circumstances only a few years ago.

The way that they haven't let this pull them down is what I find inspiring. A lot of people think their life is over once they are put in a wheelchair, but they have used it to make sure it made their life begin.

When I'm not competing I like to...
See my friends and sleep! But most the time when I'm not competing, I'm training.

Last film you saw?
I watched The Proposal on TV, but at the cinema it was probably Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Yes, a long time ago!

If I wasn't an athlete I would probably be...
At university living the student life!

Name your five ideal dinner party guests briefly noting what they bring to the party
Can the whole of McFly count as one person? If they can then they could bring the music and the looks, but they'd have to do a duet with Michael Buble as he'll be bringing the charm.

I'd also like to have Lee Evans there, for the laughs, Jessie J and Beyoncé. Maybe I should just hold a charity concert instead of a dinner party? If Mcfly don't count as one person, then Mcfly separately. And my best friend can bring the spaghetti and cake.

Marmite: foods of the gods or work of the devil?
No idea, never tried it!

Career high point to date?
Becoming double T34 women's world champion at the IPC Athletics World Championships in New Zealand 2011.

Who insures your car and home?
My car is insured by Motability Insurance Scheme and my parents' house is insured by Churchill.

Can you win the gold in London?
Yes! I hope so. No pressure!