Kare Adenegan

Started: She took up the sport in 2012 at a wheelchair academy in Coventry, England. (sportsaid.org.uk, 14 Aug 2014) Reason: Although she was unable to play sport at school for health and safety reasons, she was inspired to take up athletics after watching the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. "I got into wheelchair racing after watching the London 2012 Paralympic Games on TV. That's also where the love of the sport came from, I was so inspired by the Games and was very intrigued by wheelchair racing particularly. I didn't really know a lot about wheelchair racing - I'd heard of it before, but I didn't really understand how it all worked. After watching people like [British wheelchair racers] David Weir and Hannah Cockroft compete, that's when I realised that it was actually a sport out there." (tresamagazine.com, 07 Nov 2022; paralympic.org, 14 Mar 2017; bbc.co.uk, 28 Dec 2015) Ambition: To win a gold medal at the Paralympic Games. (premierchristianity.com, 26 Jul 2024) Milestones: At age 14 she was the youngest athlete in the British Para athletics squad at the 2015 World Championships in Doha, Qatar. (bbc.co.uk, 28 Dec 2015) Awards: In 2018 she was named the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year. (bbc.co.uk, 16 Dec 2018) In 2017 she received a Rising Star in Sport Award at the WeAreTheCity awards ceremony in London, England. (recruitingtimes.org, 14 Jul 2017; risingstars.wearethecity.com, 05 Jul 2017) She was named the 2015 Young Sportswoman of the Year by Coventry Solihull and Warwickshire [CSW] Sports in England. (coventry-godiva-harriers.org.uk, 13 Nov 2015) She received a Talented Athletes Award in 2014 from CSW Sports. (kareadenegan.com, 2015) Additional Info: QUEST FOR GOLD She won a total of five Paralympic medals across the 2016 and 2020 Games, but none of them were gold. Ahead of the 2024 Games in Paris, she said that a Paralympic title remains her ambition, and that she is still trying to match her performance at the 2018 Anniversary Games in London, England, where she set a world record in the T34 100m. "The Paralympic gold has always been the dream. I'm a firm believer that if you don't believe you can win gold, you can't win gold. So I definitely have the mindset that it's possible. I'm training as hard as I can and hoping that I can challenge for gold [at Paris 2024]. But really, it's just about being the best version of myself, focusing on my process and hopefully getting a good outcome. I've looked back at that [2018] race many times and thought, 'How can I replicate that?' I wish I knew! I'm still working on it now, but that's why sport is great - it's a test of character. It's a test of patience. I'm always learning. It's that sense of having to push and work, day in day out, and have that perseverance." (premierchristianity.com, 26 Jul 2024; bbc.co.uk, 22 Jul 2018) RAISING AWARENESS In 2020 she hosted a series of live broadcasts on Instagram titled 'A Discussion on Race and Disability'. "I felt that there was a lack of awareness being brought to the experiences of black and disabled people. As part of the [live broadcasts], I spoke to two British Paralympians, Kadeena Cox and Anne Wafula-Strike. They shared their experiences of racism and their thoughts on current events. We also spoke about the Paralympic movement and our hopes for greater diversity within national teams. Like in every sphere of life, there is work that needs to be done but when I competed at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, I saw diversity and I hope that this will increase over time." (paralympic.org, 29 Dec 2020) OTHER ACTIVITIES She hosts a podcast called 'Sporting For His Glory'. She has done speaking engagements at schools and charity events in England regarding her experiences, Para sport and inclusion. "Usually when speaking, I try to be interactive and often speak in a Q&A format as I aim to answer any burning questions on disability that students may have. Through speaking opportunities, I have been able to increase awareness of disability sport in local schools and aim to extend this to more schools in the future." (Sporting For His Glory Instagram page, 20 Jul 2023; Instagram profile, 17 Jul 2023; LinkedIn profile, 14 Jul 2023, 08 Feb 2021) EAGER TO COMPETE She was not able to take part in sport while she was at school because of health and safety reasons. "I'd have to do reading with other students or do slightly different activities. I don't blame anyone. I think it was just down to a lack of understanding. Teachers don't always know how to accommodate people with disabilities. It's an education thing. Not anyone's fault. Over time I think they will understand, especially with Para sport being on television. They will understand more about what people with disabilities can actually do. Thanks to the 2012 Paralympic Games in London it changed the way I saw disability and sport dramatically. It made me realise that elite sport is for all." (Instagram profile, 23 Aug 2019; theguardian.com, 29 Jul 2019; sportsaid.org.uk, 14 Aug 2014)