Sophie Megan Hahn, MBE (born 23 January 1997) is a parasport athlete from England competing mainly in T38 sprint events.[2] In 2013, she qualified for the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships, selected for the T38 100m and 200m. She took the gold in the 100m sprint, setting a new world record.
In 2018, she won the gold medal in the T38 100 metres for women at the Commonwealth Games; in doing so she became the first female track and field athlete to hold gold medals in the same event from the World Championships, Paralympic Games, European Championships and Commonwealth Games, mirroring in parasports the achievements of fellow Paralympian Dan Greaves, and Olympic champions Daley Thompson, Linford Christie, Sally Gunnell, Jonathan Edwards and Greg Rutherford.[3]
Career history
[edit]Hahn, who has cerebral palsy,[4] came into athletics at the age of 15. Enthused by the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, her older brother, knowing of her pace as a runner encouraged her to seek an athletics club. Her mother got in touch with her nearest club and Hahn was called in for trials and accepted by coach Joseph McDonnell. Her first competitive races occurred in 2013, and in the Charnwood Athletics warm up she took the 100m and 200m races. After entering several tournaments in June, she broke onto the British sprinting scene by taking first place at the England Athletics Senior Disability Championships, winning both 100m (13.27s) and 200m (27.88s).[2][5]
Selected for the IPC World Championships in Lyon in the T38, Hahn was entered in both the 100m and 200m in the T38 classification. On 21 July, she won her qualifying heat of the 200m with a time of 27.56.[6] In the final she was beaten by Brazil's Verônica Hipólito, but held on to take the silver medal.[7] On 23 July she qualified for the 100m sprint, this time coming in second. The next day, in the final, Hahn ran a world record time of 13.10s, beating Hipolito into second place.[8]
At the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, she won a gold medal in the 100 metres.[9]
Hahn won gold in the 100 metres at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Australia.[10] Also in 2018, Hahn had her impairment classification questioned by the father of a rival, Olivia Breen. At a Parliamentary select committee, Michael Breen claimed Hahn had been misclassified and was getting an unfair advantage.[11]
At the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai, she claimed gold and set new world records in both the 100 metres[12][13] and 200 metres.[14]
In June 2021, Hahn was among the first dozen athletes chosen for the UK athletics team at the delayed 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo[15] where she won gold in the 100 metres.[16][17][18]
At the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Hahn won a silver medal in the 100 metres.[19][20] While a year later at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships in Paris, she took bronze in both the 100 metres and 200 metres.[21]
References
[edit]- ^ "New Year's Honours list 2017" (PDF). Gov.uk. Government Digital Service. 30 December 2016. p. 62. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
- ^ a b "Sophie Hahn". thepowerof10.info. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
- ^ "Commonwealth Games: Eilidh Doyle & Kyle Langford win silvers on Gold Coast". BBC Sport. 12 April 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
- ^ Hudson, Elizabeth (24 July 2013). "IPC Athletics: Sophie Hahn wins 100m gold in Lyon". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
- ^ "Day 2 – England Athletics Senior Disability Championships". englandathletics.org. 23 June 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
- ^ Green, Ciaran (22 July 2013). "Sophie Hahn qualifies in record time for the T38 200m". givemesport.com. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
- ^ Green, Ciaran (23 July 2013). "Sophie Hahn takes silver at IPC Athletics World Championships". givemesport.com. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
- ^ "New star Sophie Hahn shines with World record at IPC Athletics World Championships". World Athletics. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "Rio Paralympics 2016: Great Britain win seven gold medals on day two". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "Gold Coast 2018: Record-breaker Sophie Hahn wins gold". paralympic.org. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "Classification claims heartbreaking – Hahn". BBC Sport.
- ^ "World Para-Athletics Championships: Sophie Hahn wins T38 100m gold with new world record". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "World Para-Athletics: Sophie Hahn breaks own world record for gold". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "World Para-Athletics Championships: Sophie Hahn improves own T38 200m world record". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "British team for Paralympics starts to take shape". AW. 23 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
- ^ "Golden day on track for GB as Sophie Hahn and Thomas Young win T38 100m". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "A GOLDEN EVENING AT THE TRACK FOR HAHN AND YOUNG". British Athletics. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "Sprint golds for Sophie Hahn and Thomas Young at Paralympics". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "Leicestershire's Sophie Hahn celebrates silver medal at Commonwealth Games". Leicester Mercury. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "Commonwealth Games: Olivia Breen shocks Sophie Hahn to claim 100m gold for Wales". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "Terrific 29 medals for GB at the World Para Athletics Championships". England Athletics. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
External links
[edit]- Sophie Hahn at the International Paralympic Committee
- Sophie Hahn at IPC.InfostradaSports.com (archived)
- Sophie Hahn at Team England
- Sophie Hahn at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (archived)