Nathan Maguire

Nathan Maguire is a T54 wheelchair racer, competing in 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m races. He was paralysed from the waist down after a sudden case of Transverse Myelitis, aged just 8, but hasn’t let this stop him in following a sporting career and becoming a professional athlete.

Nathan began wheelchair racing in 2014, racing for the first time in that year’s London Mini Marathon. As well as winning the race, in not only his first competition, but on his first international stage, he also set a new course record in the process, which still stands today.

Since then, he has competed at multiple international competitions, gaining medals of bronze, silver and gold.

At the 2018 European Championships in Berlin, Nathan secured three bronze medals in the fiercely competitive T54 100m, 200m, and 800m events. He also played a vital role in establishing a new world record as a member of the British gold medal-winning 4x100m universal relay team.

He has also had paralympic success, competing at both the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Games.

“I was very proud to represent the nation at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics Games and proud to be on the podium with my first paralympic medal – a silver – as a pivotal member of the British 4x100m universal relay team. I also achieved the 6th and 10th place finishes in the T54 400m and 800m races.”

In 2021, Nathan solidified his standing with two bronze medals in the fiercely competitive T54 400m and 800m races at the European Championships in Poland. Additionally, his contributions to the British 4x100m universal relay team earned them a silver medal, showcasing his exceptional abilities as an individual and a team player.

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games added another chapter of glory to Nathan’s journey as he triumphed in the T53/T54 1500m event. This victory marked his first individual gold medal on home soil, celebrated amidst a boisterous and supportive crowd, including his fiancé and seven-time Paralympic Champion Hannah Cockcroft.

For more than eight years as a professional para-athlete, Nathan has continuously honed his skills, striving to reach new heights in the UK and the global para-athletics arena.

Alongside his career as a para-athlete, Nathan decided to undertake a degree in sport development here at LJMU, joining us in 2015. He was supported alongside his studies as a sport scholar, receiving expert advice from sport scientists and coaches at LJMU, and academic support to be able to continue competing.

That also led him to become a qualified Level 2 Coach. Talking about his experience as a coach he said: “Being a coach is a lot different to being an athlete, it’s a lot more responsibility, and I now have an understanding of how hard athletes are to coach that I didn’t have before as just an athlete!

“I enjoy being a coach. The opportunity to pass on the knowledge I’ve gained in my career to another athlete is really valuable and exciting, without athletes sharing their knowledge my sport would never progress.”