“Hurricane” Cockroft and Maguire, who live in Elton, race in wheelchairs and are both aiming for medals at the Games, which begin on August 28.
The Cheshire-based duo split their time between training together and planning their upcoming wedding, but they will be separated when the lights go out in the Paralympic Village this summer.
“We are not allowed to live in the same accommodation, there are men’s apartments and women’s apartments,” said Cockroft, speaking as an Aldi ambassador around its Nearest and Dearest program before Paris.
“Honestly I think it’s a bit outdated, I’ll be 32 by the time I go to the Games and most of my friends on the team are men.
“I want to be surrounded by people who know me well and who will help my preparation and my performance. We ask to share every four years, but we’ve kind of accepted that it’s not going to happen now.
“We’ll see each other a lot more – Nathan can’t survive a day without me! »
Aldi’s Nearest & Dearest program helps maximize support and minimize potential distractions for athletes so they can focus on their performance and make the most of the unique opportunity to compete on one of the most great stages of the world.
The nickname Cockroft is well deserved. Running on a high-tech carbon fiber chair, she holds five world records, seven Paralympic gold medals and 14 world titles.
Maguire has also enjoyed a successful career in para-athletics and has a relay silver medal at the Tokyo Paralympics to his credit.
“There is so much knowledge that Nathan has in the sport that he passes on,” said Cockroft, who will benefit from the informative webinars and dedicated space in Paris to enjoy intimate moments with family and friends – whether either to celebrate or comfort – as part of the Aldi program. Nearest and most expensive program.
“It’s a partnership between Nathan, my coach and myself, constantly coming up with new ideas, pushing me and challenging me.
“We compete against each other in training and challenges to try to beat each other. I don’t want him to catch up with me, I want to surprise him and be faster.
“For me, it’s my experience that I can pass on. I’ve been there and done it all now, but for him it’s still extremely overwhelming to compete against the best in the world and be a medal contender.
“For Nathan, it’s the mental aspect, having psychological support and knowing that he has all the potential to do whatever he wants.”
Spending all his time thinking about how to go faster, Cockroft revealed that it’s rare for the dinner table conversation to stray from sport.
“We live and breathe wheelchair racing, we don’t disconnect from it,” she said. “The only other thing we talk about is planning the wedding and I’d rather not talk about it to be honest!”
“We don’t disconnect because it doesn’t feel like work, it’s still a hobby and what we love to do. There’s no escaping it but we both love it. This is the life of an athlete, this is your word to describe it and this is how people see you. Everything we do revolves around that.
Aldi is a proud official partner of Team GB and ParalympicsGB, supporting all athletes through to Paris 2024
Aldi is a proud official partner of Team GB and ParalympicsGB, supporting all athletes through to Paris 2024
