ATHLETICS: HORWICH paralympian Sophie Hancock insists she is happy to finish last at next week’s BT Paralympic World Cup as long as she makes the qualifying distance for next year’s IPC World Athletics Championships in New Zealand.

The 23-year-old is no stranger to World Cup success, having won discus and shot putt bronze at the Manchester event, the largest international multi-sport disability competition leading up to London 2012, a year ago.

But with all her attention focused on reaching the World Championships in January, the former Rivington and Blackrod High School student is determined to achieve the shot putt qualifying standard of 7.40m after falling 20cm short at her season’s bow in Birmingham three weeks ago.

And having returned to train at Bolton Arena this season after a spell in Loughborough, Hancock insists distance will take priority over medals in Manchester.

“The shot will be really strong because we’ve got the world numbers one and two in the world coming over for it so I’d definitely be happy to medal,” said Hancock, who will compete at the same venue as BT ambassador Oscar Pistorius.

“The main target is to get the qualification distance for the Worlds though. Once I’ve thrown that I can think about medals.

“I got bronze last year and obviously I’d like to throw better but at the moment it’s a very competitive class so I’ll just focus on myself. That’s what I did in Beijing and I threw two personal bests out there.

“I’ve had one competition this season and I won that but I was still 20cm short of the qualifying distance for the World Championships.

“But I shouldn’t have too many problems making 7.40m. training’s been going really well recently and once I get that standard out of the way, I’ll be able to relax.”

With the World Championships being held in January, Hancock admits her usual schedule has been thrown into disarray as she prepares to try to peak during a time that would usually be taken up by winter training.

And Hancock admits she’s making no definite plans for the season until she knows her place in Christchurch is secure.

“It’s going to be a strange season,” said Hancock. “The Paralympic World Cup will probably be my biggest event of the season now.

“I’m not really sure what else I’m going to compete in though. There’s a few events I’ve got my eye on but I’ll just take things step by step until I’ve made that qualification distance.

“It’s difficult going back into winter training and then aiming to peak in January but I’ll probably head off to a warm-weather training camp at some point which will help.

“I’m back working for a company called Fostering Solutions and they’re really understanding and flexible about my training so that’s working out really well at the moment.”

The BT Paralympic World Cup is taking place in Manchester from tomorrow until May 31, with more than 400 competitors from 31 countries scheduled to compete.

Go to www.btparalympicworldcup.com for tickets and more information.