Sophie Carragil will be headlining the MyProtein Labs LIVE event in London on 18th and 19th June so we caught up with her to discuss this, the future of women's sport and her experience of competing in the Paralympics in 2016.
Sophie Carragil
You will be speaking at the Myprotein Labs LIVE event soon so what can you tell us about this?
S: I’m really looking forward to the event, it’ll be great to meet different people from the industry and speak as part of a panel about overcoming adversity
Is public speaking something you have become accustomed to or do you get nervous before and event such as this one?
S: It’s a real privilege for me to speak in front of people and share my story. It’s something I have got used to because of my role as an athlete and hopefully using my voice to help create change in the industry. I don’t usually get nervous anymore, but more excited and interested in all the different people I’ll get to speak to.
For those who are unfamiliar with your career path, can you give us a little breakdown of your journey so far?
S: When I was 16, I was involved in a life-threatening car accident, which thankfully I survived, but I was left with a permanent injury which means I am now a full time wheelchair user. Before my accident, I was really sporty, that kid that just did everything, all the after-school activities. So once I had recovered and got through rehab, it made sense to start sport again. I suppose everything went from there, I found a local wheelchair basketball club and went to my first training session. I was terrible to begin with, but I persevered because I’m pretty determined like that and I wanted to get better, but I never thought that the potential of playing for Great Britain would happen for me. But it did! And since 2013, I have been part of the Great Britain wheelchair basketball team and competed in many European Championships, two world championships winning a silver medal in 2018 and two Paralympics in Rio and Tokyo.
Please tell us about your experience of competing in the Paralympics in 2016.
S: So my experiences of Rio were incredible, they were my first Paralympic games and it was an absolute honour to be able to represent my country there. We came fourth, which at the time for our squad was a really amazing achievement, but also bittersweet because we were the one team who made the semi-final that didn’t go home with a medal. That made me super hungry to keep working hard to make sure one day I did win a Paralympic medal.
Can you tell us about your experience of dealing with a spinal cord injury at just 16.
S: It was obviously a really life changing experience, and it took me some time to accept my new identity as a disabled woman. But I had incredible support from my family and friends and I really wouldn’t be who I am today without them. Finding sport and a way to stay active was amazing for me because I believe it truly gave me a purpose in life in those early years of dealing with my new identity.
You have recently worked with the Women's Sport Trust, so what did this involve?
S: It’s a pleasure to get to work for the women’s sports trust charity, they are such amazing advocates for women sports and it’s something I’m really passionate about too, I currently help run the unlocks program which supports elite female athletes in unlocking their potential and improving their visibility in the media. We need more role models in women’s sport, so it’s incredible that I can help lots of other women to be those role models for the young girls who are currently taking part in sport.
Which female sportsperson do you most admire and why?
S: It might be an obvious choice, but I love Serena Williams. She is completely fearless and is always challenging the stereotypes of what it means to be a woman in sport, I just love that about her.
What would you like to see in the future of women's sport?
S: Equality. That means in terms of the coverage, the sponsorship, the prize money, the amount of women playing sport… The list goes on, but really I just want to see women’s sport respected in the way I believe it should be.
Who are the most important women in your world right now?
S: My mum is obviously the most important woman in the world to me, and always will be. She is just incredible. But of course, my teammates in the GB women’s wheelchair basketball team are also incredibly important to me, they are all role models to me in their own way, and we get to spend a lot of time together, and I learn a lot from them about lots of different things.
What is next for you?
S: The future is unknown right now, I have just finished playing a season in Italy where we won all of the 3 cups that we could, it was an incredible season. So potentially another season abroad, or I might start playing in the women’s Premier League in the UK, which is a great league for lots of women to get involved in if you want to play wheelchair basketball at a high level.
Sophie Carragil will be headlining the MyProtein Labs LIVE event in London on 18th & 19th June, with tickets available on Eventbrite. You can now spread the cost of your MyProtein products across four, interest-free instalments via the Zip app: www.zip.co/uk.