At the World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan, Daniel Pembroke of Britain held onto his F13 javelin championship title. When he threw 66.96 meters in the last round, the 32-year-old was already assured of attaining a gold medal. He gave out a scream of joy as the javelin flew beyond his previous best of 64.79 meters from the third round.
Later this year in the 2024 Paris Olympics, Pembroke intends to defend his Paralympic crown.
With his victory, the athlete shared his journey after being away for some time from the sports limelight.
Pembroke – Long winter
“When you’ve had a long winter of training, you aren’t sure what you are capable of in your first competition, never mind when it is a world final…So, the pressure can get to you, but I felt like I relaxed into it towards the last attempt, so it just proves what is to come,” Pembroke admitted.
He added: “A lot of my throws were going up and up about a meter each time, so by the time Paris comes around and I’ve got a few more competitions under my belt, we’ll be breaching that 70-meter mark again.”
An elbow injury ended Pembroke’s goals of qualifying for the Olympics in London back in 2012.
He was already managing the degenerative eye disease retinitis pigmentosa, which results in progressive blindness. In 2019, he returned to the sport after taking a break to travel. He was then categorized as a Para athlete, and started a new sporting career.
Cover Photo: IG
Source: BBC
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