Great Britain's Daniel Pembroke broke his own world record minutes after making history to successfully defend his men's F13 javelin title at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
At the Tokyo 2020 Games, the 33-year-old threw a Paralympic record 69.52m to win his first medal at the quadrennial event, slightly shy of the previous world record of 71.01m, set by Uzbekistan's Aleksandr Svechnikov in 2017.
However, Pembroke - who is also the reigning two-time world champion - surpassed Svechnikov on his third attempt of the night with a record distance of 71.15m, before spectacularly breaking his own record just moments later by over three metres.
The 33-year-old's fourth attempt came in at an outrageous 74.49m, which saw him comfortable retain his Paralympic title in the Stade de France, and he unsurprisingly described the moment as the best of his life when speaking to Channel 4.
"This is what I love. I love javelin throwing and I'm in my element here. It was incredible," Pembroke said. "This is the best moment of my life and I couldn't have done it without all the support back home."
Pembroke suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, a condition which causes vision loss, and he spent over six years out of the sport after a knee injury ended his hopes of competing at the London 2012 Olympics.
Iran's Ali Pirouj placed second in the men's F13 javelin final with a best throw of 69.74m, which would have won gold over Pembroke at the 2020 Games, while Cuba's Ulicer Aguilera Cruz took the bronze with 62.51m.
Ben Knapton
