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.[3] Josie won further Marathons including the Leeds, Gloucester, Ottawa and Brussels Marathons. Plus several half Marathons including Great North Run and Reading.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 9 December 1964 Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom |
| Died | 2 December 2014 (aged 49) |
| Alma mater | University of Bolton[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Wheelchair athlete, coach[2] |
| Years active | c. 1984–1997 |
| Life partner | Sandra Johnston |
| Sport | |
| Country | Great Britain |
| Sport | Wheelchair racing, Wheelchair basketball |
| Disability | Spina bifida[1] |
| Team | Manchester Mavericks |
| Updated on 9 December 2014 | |
Career
editCichockyj took part in the Summer Paralympics, competing in wheelchair racing at the 1984 Games and in wheelchair basketball at the 1988 Games.[4] 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 in Atlanta, USA, gaining 6th Position (highest placed British team)[clarification needed]. 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, 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 tour ITF Tennis Archived 26 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine. She was also a ranked tennis player on the ATP World Wheelchair Tennis Tour
Cichockyj died on 2 December 2014 due to cancer.[5]
Tennis
edit- 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
edit- 1984 Paralympic selection
- DSE National Singles Winner
- DSE Doubles Single Winner
- BTTAD Singles Winner
Awards
edit- 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
edit- ^ a b Atkinson, Neil (9 December 2014). "Obituary: Huddersfield Paralympics star Josie Cichockyj". Huddersfield Examiner. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- ^ a b Jepson, Anthony (3 December 2014). "Tributes paid to 'inspirational' Josie Cichockyj". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- ^ "London Marathon History" (PDF). Flora London Marathon. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 April 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
- ^ "Josie Cichockyj". Paralympic.org. International Paralympic Committee.
- ^ Laura Hale (3 December 2014). "British wheelchair basketball player Josie Cichockyj dies". parasport-news.com. Archived from the original on 8 December 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
External links
edit- Josie Cichockyj at the International Paralympic Committee
- Biography by de facto Promotions at the Wayback Machine (archived 6 August 2013)
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