Cockroft’s delight as Britain target improved medal haul

The clock counting down to the start of the second part of the Olympic summer ticked past 50 days yesterday, with the home team marking the event by announcing a 49-strong squad for the flagship track and field events.

Cockroft, 19, the T34 double world champion in the 100m and 200m and multiple world record holder, is among the athletes making their Paralympic debuts.

The Halifax teenager will be one of the favourites to win gold medals when the Paralympics start on August 29.

She tweeted: “I take huge honour in announcing that I have officially been selected to represent Great Britain at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.”

Cockroft will have to share the burden of expectation placed on the squad’s shoulders by UK Athletics Paralympic head coach Peter Eriksson.

Great Britain ended the Beijing Games with just two gold medals – both from David Weir who defends his titles in London – as they finished 18th in the athletics medal table. Things have improved vastly since then and Eriksson is backing his squad to impress.

“I think we have a very good chance of moving up the standings from 2008,” said the Swede.

“That has always been our goal. To end up in the top eight of the national standings, to get between five and eight gold medals, and 25 to 28 medals in total.

“I think we are in a great situation where we have at least 10 world record holders over the past one-and-a-half years going into the Games.

“I don’t think that has ever happened before and we have a young team too, with over 50 per cent newcomers to the Games.”

Eriksson has quickly helped change the British team’s fortunes since his appointment as UK Athletics’ Paralympic head coach in 2008.

That transformation was epitomised at last year’s World Championships where Britain finished third in the medal table with 38.

Asked what the secret of success was, Eriksson said: “I think it is the integration we have done with the Olympics side when it comes to the coaching, the support, the training centres.

“That ups the expectations of the athletes and I think that is the key to them moving forward.”

No fewer than 28 athletes will make their Paralympic debut in London, while there are eight medallists from Beijing in the athletics squad.

The team features a number of experienced track and field campaigners including three-time F32 club throw gold medallist Stephen Miller and multiple F34 shot putt and discus medallist Dan West.

Tracey Hinton, a double gold medallist in the T11 100m and 200m at the recent IPC Athletics European Championships, celebrates her sixth Paralympics, while Weir is selected for his fourth Games.

Yorkshire shot putter Robin Womack, 41, was a certainty for the team having achieved the qualifying mark on a number of occasions.

Jade Jones, 16, of Middlesbrough will contest the T54 400m, 800m and 1,500m.