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Typhoo Nationals: 'I love coming here because you have loads of fun'

Over 240 of the country’s finest young disabled athletes took part in the weekend’s Typhoo National Junior Athletics Championships in Coventry.

Many elite disabled athletes began their own success at this prestigious event, including Hannah Cockroft, Shelly Woods, Aled Davies and Hollie Arnold.

But the weekend was just as much about participation, enjoyment and being active for the 10 regional teams competing.

The English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) spent some time at the weekend talking to participants, parents, coaches and team managers, getting the behind-the-scenes perspective on this major disability athletics event:

Jade Horsfall, East region, 15 years old: 100m, 200m, 800m (T20)

I think I did pretty good in that race! I finished first, in the first race of the day. It feels really good to win. The 100m is my strongest event I think, because once you go you just keep your speed going and you feel you’ve got the hang of it. I think I’m quite an experienced racer, and later today I’m competing in the 400m.

It looks like everyone is having fun here. Today is a very hot day as well. But I don’t think the heat will affect my performance.

I love coming here because you have loads of fun and it’s good for your ability. I feel like I’m improving. My ultimate aim is just to improve my running.

Joe Waggitt, North East region, 12 years old: 100m, Discus, Shot (T20) (F20)

I was just in the 100m. It went very good- I won! I felt a little nervous at the start, and I only ran here for the first time last year. And in 2014, I didn’t win any medals. But today I’ve done alright.

I trained better this year at my school. At school I do shot put, discus, a lot of running.

I like big events like this – I enjoy running and all the other activities. It is quite exciting. And I think I will do more of this sort of thing. And then I want to get to bigger events.

I would like to thank all my teachers.

Thomas Bateman, East Midlands region, 16 years old: 100m (T20) 

I just ran in the 100m. It was such fun, but so hot. I ran fast, and I enjoy racing against other competitors. I had no tactics at the start, though I was good at waiting for the gun. I liked standing with my teacher Kerry on the start line.

This is the biggest race I’ve ever run, and I wasn’t nervous or anything. I want to carry on with my running.

Colleen Bateman, Thomas' mother

Thomas has just started racing recently. He’s been training at his school, Forest Way, Coalville in Leicestershire.

Thomas has just started attending athletics events. He’s been doing really well at training, even winning some medals. So we’ve come here today.

We’d like to continue with his sport. He loves it, he seems to get so much out of it. He likes being amongst people and he’s really enjoyed the whole setup, having lots of fun.

It has been a brilliant day. I never thought he’d take to sport, but school have been telling me how good, how quick, he is. They suggested that we should give it a go.

When I watch him race it’s just so emotional. I’m just so proud that he’s got as far as he has and that he’s entered into something like this.

Other parents with children like Thomas should give this a go and see what their child gets out of it. It’s been lots of fun, and seeing your own children being a part of this is great. Thomas has dyspraxia and ADHD.

Serena Bradshaw, North West region, 17 years old: 100m, Shot, Javelin (T20) (F20)

I just won gold in the shot put! When we’d finished I didn’t know I’d won – I’ve only just found out now. I think it was very close between first and second. I was hoping to win, a bit, because I’ve done a lot of shot put before. And I’ve run a race as well, finishing third.

I just like being active and I was inspired by Jessica Ennis at London 2012, as well as Usain Bolt. My disability doesn’t hold me back from competing.

Lilian Moakes, Serena's grandmother

I’ve come to this from the Isle of Wight. Serena is here taking part today, so I’ve come to see her.

I knew Serena was doing well with her athletics, because we stay in touch quite a lot. It’s been great to see her compete.

I’m very proud, and her grandad, if he were still alive, would be as well.

Matthew Harrison, North East region, 19 years old: Powerchair Slalom, Precision Bean Bag, Precision Club Throw (T31) (F31)

That just went very well – I’m pleased with that. I train at school and qualified through various regional heats.

I wasn’t expecting to do that well! It must have been how well I controlled my chair, plus my concentration. This event is a combination of both. Sometimes, only sometimes, I am good at concentrating!

I’ve enjoyed this weekend, it’s been great. This year has been my first – last year I was due to attend but then broke my left leg. I was getting ready for my prom, but went over on my ankle. There wasn’t much rehab needed – they just pushed it back in place and casted it up.

This was my last event of the weekend. This, today, was my best event.

Athletes should come and participate next year – it’s enjoyable, you can see how much people enjoy it.

Robert Paterson, Team Manager, Team Scotland

We’ve just seen our athlete Ross Paterson compete in the T30 200m. Yes, he’s my son! We both do get nervous before a race, but today went well I think. He looked like he was running well. I think he might just have been pipped into third. But he’ll be alright with that – he realises he’s not going to win every race but that he should do the best he can.

I got into disability sport just by watching Ross, first football and then athletics.

I’m team manager this year and I also was last year. I have to make sure the athletes are all ready to go for each of their races, that they have stretched off.

Athletes in my team are from all over Scotland, from Aberdeen to the Borders. We all travelled down on Friday, leaving at about 1pm and not getting down here until 9.30pm. It’s a fair old journey! I think we’ll get home at 9.30pm tonight, and I’ve got work in the morning. I’m a policeman, and my shift starts at 7am.

Everybody looks after you here, supporting each other. You don’t tend to get that in other sports like football and so on. Everyone cheers for each other in disability athletics, and there are no superstars.

The weekend has been fantastic, and this is the third year we’ve been down. It is so well run.

Liz Neale, Team Manager, North East

It’s great. We spent a lot of years trying to get to this level. We won it for the first time last year and we thought it would be really hard to maintain it this year. But we’ve got there.

There is a team spirit, and that’s because we pool from a small area of the North East – Tyne and Wear, Tees Valley and Durham.

We do still have a few challenges, I think. We don’t have as many athletes in power wheelchair as we had in the past. It’s a case now of having to go out and do more work in mainstream schools to try and find where some of the children are and try to get them more involved in the competitions as a whole.

Malachi Oram, East region, 19 years old: 100m, 200m, 400m (T15)

I love running, I always train really hard and I really enjoy the fact that I do it with my friends. I’ve really enjoyed the weekend – the athletics, the hotel (we went swimming!), the dinner and the party afterwards!

I think everyone who can should play sport. People will make new friends, and in terms of development and the country getting better at sport so more people should take it up.

For further information on EFDS please contact Sarah Marl, Marketing and Communications Manager. Email smarl@efds.co.uk. Mobile: 07764 291671. Please contact our Events Manager, Jannine Walker,jwalker@efds.co.uk or call 07725273158 if you have any questions regarding the programme.