Kadeena Cox

Kadeena Cox grew up in Leeds and was an able-bodied 200 metres sprinter chasing Olympic qualification when, in early 2014, she suffered a stroke followed by a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. She was 23. The condition left her with weakness down one side of her body and doctors told her that competing again at the top level was unlikely.

Rather than stop, she asked British Athletics whether there was a pathway for her as a disabled athlete and was pointed towards para-sport classification. She adapted her sprinting technique to compensate for the effects of MS, which can flare unpredictably and affects her coordination and balance from one day to the next.

At the Rio 2016 Paralympics she won gold in the T38 400 metres, then switched to the velodrome days later and won a second gold in the C4-5 mixed team sprint on the track, becoming the first British athlete in three decades to win Paralympic medals in two different sports at the same Games. She added further medals in Tokyo in 2021.

She has spoken openly about the days when MS makes even walking difficult, and about training around a condition that offers no guarantees from one morning to the next. She has used her profile to push for wider recognition that a diagnosis is a change in circumstances, not necessarily an ending.