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Kadeena Cox defends her decision to join The Jump despite funding suspension

Kadeena Cox defends her decision to join The Jump despite funding suspension
Kadeena Cox defends her decision to join The Jump despite funding suspension Kadeena Cox defends her decision to join The Jump despite funding suspension

Paralympic champion Kadeena Cox has defended her decision to compete in The Jump – a choice that has seen her elite UK Sports funding suspended.

The 25-year-old, who has multiple sclerosis and won four medals at the Rio Paralympics including golds in athletics and cycling, justified her appearance on the reality TV show, saying she is looking forward to the experience.

She tweeted: “B4 judging my decisions ppl should imagine living life as a ticking time bomb. MS has changed my outlook on life, so I’m gonna enjoy skiing.”

Kadeena, who had a stroke aged 23 which led to her being diagnosed, became the first Briton since 1988 to win a medal in two sports at the same Paralympics as she won the C4-5 women’s cycling time trial and the T38 400m sprint on the athletics track at the Rio Games.

She does not have a major cycling event this year, but she would be expected to take part in the Para Athletics World Championships in London in July.A British Athletics spokesman said: “Kadeena Cox will be participating on the The Jump on Channel 4 in the coming weeks and British Athletics can confirm that her UK Sport funding supported by the National Lottery will be suspended (from January 1 2017) until she returns to training and proves fitness.“Due to the nature of the activities on the show, the athlete cannot continue to be supported by the World Class Performance Programme during this time. However, we wish her all the best with the programme and look forward to welcoming her back to the sport after the show.”

GB Taekwondo said it had “reservations” over the participation of double Olympic taekwondo champion Jade Jones in the show, which has a history of its celebrity competitors being forced to pull out of the competition due to injury.A statement from GB Taekwondo read: “While we had our reservations, we understand Jade’s desire to try new challenges and to take part in this show.“We have held extensive discussions with Jade and her management and she is aware of the risks involved.“She has made an informed decision to take part in the show and has ensured that The Jump and its production company has all the requisite cover and medical provision is in place.“We will continue to support her as much as we can and look forward to seeing her back in training in due course.”