by British javelin star Dan Pembroke kept his word by breaking the world record twice on his way to becoming a double Paralympic champion in Paris.
The 33-year-old had made no secret of his intention to improve on the previous world best mark of 71.01 metres, set by Uzbekistan’s Aleksandr Svechnikov in 2017, after falling 51 centimeters short of it last year.
He first extended the record to 71.15m before completing a mammoth throw of 74.49m to emphatically retain the F13 title which he memorably clinched with a Games record from the era of 69.52 m on a rainy day in Tokyo.
The Pembroke world champion stood with his arms in the air as he absorbed the cheers from the Stade de France crowd before blowing kisses to spectators reveling in his unprecedented feat.
“It was phenomenal,” he said of the atmosphere. “I’ve never had anything like this in my life, it was just such a feeling.
“The crowd got behind me and that was my secret weapon. It was incredible, an extraordinary day.
“I’ve had a taste and I want more – Los Angeles (Los Angeles 2028), here we come.”
Pembroke’s success lifted ParalympicsGB to third place on the athletics podium on Thursday after wheelchair racer Sammi Kinghorn won her fourth medal of the Games with silver in the 400m following bronze in the F35 shot put for Anna Nicholson.
He was first and led the competition throughout, having started with a season’s best effort of 68.39m, more than seven meters clearer than the rest of the field in the first round.
The visually impaired athlete, who was set to represent his country at the London 2012 Olympics before a fractured elbow ligament ruined his dream and ultimately inspired him to pursue parasport, was only what to start with.
After Svechnikov’s seven-year-old record fell in the third round, Pembroke broke new ground again with their next attempt, fueled by Iranian rival Ali Pirouj who provided food for thought with a throw of 69.74m.
“I thought, ‘wow, that’s a little too close for comfort,’ and I realized the job wasn’t done,” he said.
“I’ve been doing a lot more visualization work and it really helps clear my mind. I just thought about my process goals, achieved them and off I went.
Pirouj’s best was about to steal the show for Pembroke, who celebrated gold by jubilantly running down the center of the field and bowing to their fans before completing Union-wrapped laps Jack.
After his Olympic dream was shattered, the Briton, suffering from retinitis pigmentosa – a genetic disease that affects the retina and leaves him with only 10 percent vision – bid farewell to athletics in 2013 in order to see the world while he still could.
The long sabbatical included meeting his wife Martina in Sardinia before Pembroke made a successful transition to disability sport.
“Tokyo, there was no one in the crowd; today I didn’t know what to expect,” he said.
“I spoke to Sammi Kinghorn, she’s medaling at the moment and she just said ‘go out there and enjoy it’ and that’s exactly what I did.
“I was bawling when I hugged Martina – she knows how much it means to me to do that.”
Earlier, Kinghorn, who became 100m champion on Wednesday, continued her unforgettable Games by clocking 53.45 seconds in the T53 400m, 1.85 seconds behind Swiss gold medalist Catherine Debrunner.
“I’m absolutely excited about it; four out of four, I can’t be disappointed at all,” said the 28-year-old Scot, who also won silver in the 800m and 1,500m in France.
“It’s been incredible, I definitely did a lot better than I thought I came in.”
Shot putter Nicholson produced a best throw of 9.44m in the morning session to finish third in her event.
