Josie Cichockyj (9 December 1964 – 2 December 2014) was a British wheelchair athlete. Born in
Huddersfield, she competed in the
London Marathon women's wheelchair race for a number of years, finishing as runner-up to
Kay McShane and
Karen Davidson, before winning the 1989 race. Josie won further Marathons including the Leeds, Gloucester, Ottawa and
Brussels Marathon
The Brussels Marathon is an annual AIMS-certified marathon held in Brussels, Belgium, first held in 1984, and usually held in the autumn. Races of shorter distances are also held on the same day.
History
The full race was first held in 1984.
...
s. Plus several half Marathons including
Great North Run and Reading.
Career
Cichockyj took part in the
Summer Paralympics
The Summer Paralympics also known as the Games of the Paralympiad, are an international multi-sport event where athletes with physical disabilities compete. This includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and cerebral ...
, competing in
wheelchair racing at the
1984 Games and in
wheelchair basketball at the
1988 Games. Josie held every British Track Record from 100m through to 5,000m breaking 28 British Records. The highlight of her track career was breaking the 5,000m World Track record in addition to silver medals at
European Track Championships in Belgium and Austria.
Cichockyj was
Great Britain Wheelchair Basketball Captain, 1989-1992 and also acted as Vice captain for several years. She competed in the 1988 Paralympics in
Seoul, South Korea and the
1996 Paralympics
The 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, were held from August 16 to 25. It was the first Paralympics to get mass media sponsorship, and had a budget of USD $81 million.
It was the first Paralympic Games where Internationa ...
in
Atlanta, USA, gaining 6th Position (highest placed British team). She won bronze medals in the 1995 European Championships in
Delden, Holland, and the 1997 championships in
Madrid, Spain, 1997. Josie competed in World Championships including
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
, Australia in 1998.
During the time Josie Cichockyj was competing at basketball she also competed in
table tennis and became a National Champion and became a ranked
tennis player playing on the ATP tou
ITF Tennis . She was also a ranked tennis player on the
ATP World Wheelchair Tennis Tour
Cichockyj died on 2 December 2014 due to cancer.
Tennis
*LTA National Doubles Winner
*LTA National Singles Runner Up
*NW of England Tournament, Division Winner
*New York Indoor Tennis Championships, Singles Division Winner
*Dallas Tennis Championships, Singles Division Winner
*Israel Open Tennis Championships, Singles Division Winner
Table Tennis
*1984 Paralympic selection
*DSE National Singles Winner
*DSE Doubles Single Winner
*BTTAD Singles Winner
Awards
*Alumni Fellowship Award Bolton University for Services to Sport
*North West Achievement Award in recognition of work with Disabled People
*Nominated Cheshire Women of the Year 1996
*Nominated North of England YMCA Volunteer Award 1996
*Great Britain Wheelchair Basketball Association Personality of the Year 1989
*Nominated a finalist at the Winning Women Awards Ceremony 2001
*DSE National Achievement Award for Services to Table Tennis
References
External links
*
*
1964 births
2014 deaths
English female wheelchair racers
British women's wheelchair basketball players
Paralympic athletes for Great Britain
Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Paralympics
Paralympic wheelchair basketball players for Great Britain
Wheelchair basketball players at the 1984 Summer Paralympics
Wheelchair basketball players at the 1988 Summer Paralympics
Wheelchair basketball players at the 1996 Summer Paralympics
Paralympic wheelchair racers
People with spina bifida
Sportspeople from Huddersfield
Deaths from cancer in England
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