Honor Morton, an 18-year-old deaf runner from Askam-in-Furness, Cumbria, just hit her goal of representing Team GB at the inaugural European Deaf Youth Games in Germany this August. That’s a massive deal, right? But here’s the gut-punch: Honor and her twin sister, Gretta, are also out there right now fundraising for her trip because there’s absolutely no funding available for these athletes. Seriously, how is an athlete representing her country expected to pay for her own travel, accommodation, food, and even her Team GB kit?
The Unbreakable Bond That Keeps Her Running
You want to talk about dedication? Honor runs everything from the 800m to the 10km, while Gretta is a sprinter, focusing on the 100m and 200m. Their coach, Ian Jones, calls them “two of the most dedicated athletes you could ever meet.” But Honor faces challenges most runners can’t even imagine. She can’t hear the starting gun; her coach has to tap her on the shoulder to signal the start. Can you even picture that disadvantage off the line? She also can’t pick up on other athletes’ breathing patterns or body language during a race, which she says is crucial. “There is a lot of disadvantage there,” Honor admits. That’s where Gretta steps in, making her sister’s experience more accessible from day one. Honor calls herself “so lucky to have a twin.” When they first joined athletics clubs, Gretta was the one telling coaches, “you need to wear a radio so Honor can hear, you need to repeat instructions, you need to have hand signals instead of just saying go.” Gretta even gives Honor “a little glance if she’s missed anything” because Honor understands her lip pattern better than anyone else’s. That’s a bond that transcends sport.
Fighting for Fair Play and a Unified Future
It’s infuriating. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport minister met with UK Deaflympics to talk about raising the profile of deaf sport, but the government’s official stance is no additional funding for high-performance deaf athletes beyond what it gives for “Olympic and Paralympic success.” They throw £1.2 million annually at grassroots deaf sports, which is great, but what about the athletes who actually make it to the world stage? Honor is fundraising for the very opportunity to compete. This all goes back to a past decision for deaf athletes to be separate from the Paralympic Games, wanting their “own identity.” But Honor, like many deaf athletes her age, wants that to change. “We want to go back to the Paralympics, we want to be part of a team that celebrates all different disabilities,” she says. Even with these massive hurdles, hitting the qualifying standard two years ago for these Games was a “relief,” and she still calls it “one of the proudest moments” of her life.
Honor is heading to Germany in August, and you know she’s going to leave it all on the track. This isn’t just about winning races; it’s about pushing for recognition, inclusion, and the basic funding every athlete representing their country deserves. Let’s hope her incredible story finally gets the attention it needs.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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