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 centimetres short last year.
He first extended the record to 71.15m before producing a mammoth throw of 74.49m to emphatically retain the F13 title which he memorably won with a Games record of 69.52m on a rainy day in Tokyo.
World champion Pembroke stood with his arms raised as he absorbed the cheers of the Stade de France crowd before blowing kisses to spectators revelling in his unprecedented feat.
“It was phenomenal,” he said of the atmosphere. “I’ve never experienced anything like it before in my life, it was just an incredible feeling.”
“The crowd supported me and that was my secret weapon. It was incredible, an incredible day.
“I’ve had a taste and I want more. LA (Los Angeles 2028) here we come.”
Pembroke’s success earned ParalympicsGB its third place on the athletics podium on Thursday after wheelchair racer Sammi Kinghorn claimed her fourth medal of the Games with silver in the 400m following bronze in the F35 shot put for Anna Nicholson.
He was first to set off and led the field throughout the race, having opened with a season-best effort of 68.39m, more than seven metres clear of the rest of the field on the opening lap.
The visually impaired athlete, who was set to represent his country at the 2012 London Olympics before a torn elbow ligament ruined that dream and ultimately prompted him to take up para-sport, was just getting started.
After Svechnikov’s seven-year-old record fell in the third round, Pembroke broke new ground again with his next attempt, fuelled by Iranian rival Ali Pirouj who provided food for thought with a throw of 69.74m.
“I thought, ‘Wow, this is a little too close for comfort,’ and then 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 think about my process goals, achieve them and go.”
Pirouj’s best was the one that came closest to stealing the show from Pembroke, who celebrated gold by running joyously down the centre of the pitch and bowing to his supporters before completing laps wrapped in the Union Jack.
After seeing his Olympic dream crumble, the Briton, who suffers from retinitis pigmentosa – a genetic condition that affects the retina and leaves him with just 10 per cent of his vision – said goodbye to athletics in 2013 in order to see the world while he still could.
This long sabbatical led him to meet his wife Martina in Sardinia before Pembroke successfully made the transition to disability sport.
“In 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 got a lot of medals at the moment and she just said ‘go ahead and enjoy it’ and that’s exactly what I did.
“I cried hot tears when I hugged Martina. She knows how much it means to me to do this.”
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 medallist Catherine Debrunner.
“I’m absolutely delighted; 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 was incredible, I definitely did a lot better than I thought I would when I arrived.”
Shot putter Nicholson had a best throw of 9.44m in the morning session to finish third in her event.
