Great Britain tops the medal table with two gold medals as Marcus Perrinault-Daly and Sammy Kinghorn take silver.
Ben Sandilands secured Britain’s fifth Para Athletics gold in Paris this morning (September 6) when he set a new world record in the men’s 1500m T20.
The 21-year-old was third behind American Mikey Brannigan and Italy’s Ndiaga Dieng as the final lap began, but held off his rivals to win in 3:45.40, 0.10 seconds off Brannigan’s previous world record.
Dieng ran a PB of 3:49.46 to finish second and Brannigan was third in 3:49.91.
Making his Paralympic debut, Sandilands takes the title from fellow Scot Owen Miller, who won gold at Tokyo 2020 but missed the Games through injury. Sandilands also obliterated his personal best in 3:47.02, continuing his golden streak since winning world gold in Paris last year.
Ben Sandilands (Getty)
“It’s an incredible feeling. it was amazing,” Sandilands said. “A lot of hard work has gone into this. I want to give a big thank you to my family and friends and my coach who helped me get here.
“I knew I was going to be fast at the end of the race. I knew I had it. The timing had to be perfect from the 200m mark. I had to go for it and not hold back. I can’t wait to celebrate with all my family and friends around me.”
Last night (September 5th) Dan Pembroke defended his F13 javelin title brilliantly, breaking the world record twice.
With a throw of 71.15m, the British athlete surpassed the previous world best of 71.01m set by Uzbekistan’s Alexander Svechnikov in 2017 for the first time. The 33-year-old then broke his own mark with a remarkable throw of 74.49m to retain his title after a 69.52m win in Tokyo.
Pembroke’s final throw is the third best by any British javelin thrower this year, behind Berkshire’s Benjamin East, who reached 75.85m.
Dan Pembroke (Getty)
“I’ve never felt anything like it in my life,” Pembroke said. “It was such a feeling. How can you describe the world record in words? It is a dream come true.
“I’m in the same shape I was in my 20s. I never thought it was possible. 74 meters, wow! When the 71.15 meters landed I was absolutely delighted. Then the Iranian enters and throws 69 m, and at that moment I thought, this case is not over yet. I need to rest and collect myself.
“I’ve been imagining this for a long time, someone comes back to me and it becomes a note. That’s exactly what I did and I focused on bigger throws.
“I’m within a meter and a half of what I used to throw as an able-bodied athlete in my 20s, so there’s not a huge gap. John Trower, my coach, told me that 74 meters is still a mess. He’s hard to please, but it proves I won’t give up anytime soon. LA is next.”
Pembroke’s success was followed by Sammy Kinghorn’s impressive fourth medal of the Games with silver in the women’s 400m T53. The 28-year-old finished in 53.45 minutes, just behind Switzerland’s Catherine Debrunner.
Sammy Kinghorn (Getty)
Kinghorn’s stellar performance in Paris includes gold in the 100m and three silvers in the 400m, 800m and 1500m. He now aims to add another medal in the upcoming 4x100m medley relay.
In another success, Marcus Perrinault-Daly took silver in the men’s 100m T52 in 17.27, an impressive feat for an athlete who only started competing in 2020.
Great Britain is sixth in the medal table with a total of 12 medals.
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