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Middle distance runner following in footsteps of Olympian great-grandfather

Middle distance runner following in footsteps of Olympian great-grandfather

Frederick Wolff was part of Great Britain’s gold medal winning 4x400m quartet at the 1936 Olympics, and his great-grandson has not given up hope of being the second family member to represent his nation.

Wolff, 30, who competes in the T20 classification, already has an English record in the 800m and competed at a sold-out London Diamond League meet in July, making him one of few para-athletes to feature at a mainstream event.

“Daniel is a do-er,” said his father, Paul Wolff. “He’s incredibly motivated by training and competing, so to be invited to the UK Champs and London Diamond League this year was a big deal. 

“The fact it was televised on BBC and there was a crowd of 60,000 people was a huge thing for Daniel, and other wheelchair racers, because they don’t always get so much attention. 

“That’s why the Paralympics is great. I love the way it gives different sports – and athletes – exposure to a bigger audience. All the athletes are superstars and deserve to have the limelight. It’s refreshing to see them compete on the big stage.”

Wolff finished fourth in the 1500m in both competitions, achieving a PB at the UK Champs in Manchester, but it was over the 400m discipline that the Surrey native first made a name for himself. 

After being scouted to attend the London Youth Games as a teenager, Wolff won back-to-back 400m titles for his category before going on to represent GB at the Special Olympics World Games.

“That was really the spur for my son, the turning point in his athletics career,” said Paul Wolff.

“Daniel was never into team sports because of his autism, he just didn’t quite understand the dynamic, but he’s always really thrived in an athletics environment. 

“Athletics has the unique advantage that you’re competing for yourself, but you’re also part of a wider team. I think that being able to go outside and just run is such a good stress-reliever.” 

Wolff has already replicated his great-grandfather’s relay success, winning bronze in the 4 x 400m relay at the Virtus European Athletics Championships in June, but the ‘athletics effect’ goes far beyond medals. 

“Daniel can get very anxious and work himself up, that’s one of his autistic traits,” said Wolff senior. “Athletics has been a huge part of allowing him to let off steam and has generally been a really positive distraction to wider life”.

Wolff is one of 50 athletes across a multitude of sports supported by a partnership between SportsAid and Pitching In, a multimillion-pound grassroots sport programme established by Entain, owner of Ladbrokes and Coral.

“SportsAid and Pitching In’s support has come in useful for getting Daniel running shoes and plenty more,” Paul said.

“Daniel is 30 now and you don’t know how long you have left in you [to compete] from now on, so the funding has also allowed us to get Dan more treatment and physio, especially for preventative injuries.”

Entain, owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, is proud to be championing the next generation of British sporting heroes by providing talented young athletes with financial support and personal development opportunities in partnership with SportsAid. Visit entaingroup.com to find out more.