Athlete Katrina Hart is being sponsored by Bath law firm Withy King as she prepares for the London Paralympic Games at the University of Bath’s Sports Training Village.
Katrina, a 200m sprinter and University of Bath alumnus, has cerebral palsy and competes in the T37 class.
Withy King’s £3,000 sponsorship is being used to cover Katrina’s training and travel costs in the run up to this summer’s Games – her second Paralympics. Katrina has run competitively at an international level since 2005 and won her first Gold medal for England at the Commonwealth Games in 2010, setting a new British record. In the same year she took home Gold in the 200m at the World Championships.
A neuromuscular condition affecting movement, posture and coordination, Katrina’s cerebral palsy manifests itself in the left side of her body – affecting her arm and leg.
Withy King’s specialist clinical negligence team has a national reputation for dealing with cerebral palsy-related claims. The
Withy King partner and head of the clinical negligence team Simon Elliman said: “Katrina is a great inspiration for many people and we are really pleased to be associated with her. She is a real gold medal contender and I’m looking forward to attending the Games and seeing her compete.
Withy King has close links to a number of cerebral palsy charities and Mr Elliman has run half-marathons to raise money for several of them.
Katrina said: “I’ve always been athletic – my two older sisters were sporty as children and it really helped to bring out both my confidence and my competitive spirit. I was also lucky enough to have great PE teachers throughout my school days – one of whom was also a GB athlete. She inspired me to think that anything was possible if you put your mind to it. I think it’s brilliant that Withy King has got involved and helped to make it all possible.”
On their marks: Simon Elliman with and Katrina Hart