Holly Arnold (Coach: Scott Knighton, Club: Blackheath & Bromley) claimed a sensational sixth successive title in the F46 javelin as Great Britain and Northern Ireland got off to a golden start at the KOBE24 World Para Athletics Championships.
Meanwhile, Kevin Santos finished 8th in the T47 100m, and Thomas Young safely advanced to the men’s T38 100m final in 2nd place overall.
Arnold’s first world title was won again in Lyon in 2013, and 11 years later, Arnold’s hungry spirit and 2016 Paralympic champion, still aiming for a remarkable sixth world title, are evident. Desire remains just as strong.
The Welshman started with a solid 39.44m and was five meters ahead of the rest of the field after the first round, increasing his desire to win another world gold medal.
This was a lead she would never relinquish, and in the fourth round she improved her personal best to 40.89 meters, finishing with a throw of 40.29 meters. With her consistent series, she added records of 38.75m, 37.40m and 37.49m to her scorecard on her way to further world success.
Saska Sokolov of Serbia and Noel Rolda of the Netherlands took second and third place respectively. Their best marks were 38.55 meters and 38.41 meters.
Afterwards, Arnold was overjoyed and said: I had been feeling unwell for the past two days and was worried, but as soon as I stepped out onto the course I felt like it was time for the game, time for the gladiators. His emotions came out when he threw his first plus-40 meter throw. Last year was a tough year, but I’m very happy to be back with my second consecutive world title.
“I’ve been telling coach (Scott) that if I can go out there and throw that first throw, whatever it is, I can just grow from there. When I hit 39.44 meters, that’s what I’m going to do for the rest of the series. Anything could happen in a round, but as soon as the last person went to throw and I knew I had won, I had no choice but to brace myself for the final throw. I was emotional and my bottom lip was trembling, but I knew I had won my sixth title, so I wanted to make it count.
“I felt so happy when I threw that last pitch and I realized that I had won my sixth title. That feeling will never go away. I would like to thank everyone who supported me. I appreciate you, I know who you are, and I love you all.”
Earlier in the program, Kevin Santos (coach: Mike Utting, club: City of Norwich) finished 8th in the men’s T47 100m final with a time of 11.14 seconds (0.1 seconds).
After qualifying in the morning session with a time of 11.16 seconds, he returned to the competitive finals in the evening session. Favorite Petrucio Ferreira dos Santos (BRA) lived up to expectations and won with a time of 10.83 seconds, with all medals won in times under 10.88 seconds.
Santos, who won the world championship bronze medal at last year’s Paris Games, looked back on the race at the season opener in Kobe. “It’s a little disappointing to be eighth because last year I was third. I have to look back at the race and think about what I need to improve on. I know this is my season opener, but , it’s a shame considering everything. I’m glad I got to come out here and get some experience because that’s what I needed.”
Santos plans to return to the track later in the championship as part of the 4x100m universal relay team.
Thomas Young (Joe McDonnell, Charnwood) did well in the T38 100m race, putting in a strong performance to take him into Saturday’s final with the second fastest overall qualifying result.
Young, who was lining up in heat two, knew that a top three finish would secure him a spot in medal contention. He got out of the blocks well and gained a slight advantage over Jadyn Blackwell early in the race. However, in the final few steps the American won the heat by 0.01 seconds, but Young still managed to improve his time with a time of 11.09 seconds (-1.2).
The reigning Paralympic champion was happy with reaching the finals and commented: I know what to expect from this and I know how many times I’ve run in training and races in the UK, so the final will be a completely new race. I’m very happy to be able to forget about last year and focus on tomorrow’s final and the important matches in a few months. ”
In the morning session, Zach Shaw (Leon Baptist, Cleethorpes) advanced to the men’s T12 100m final after a strong opening race. The vice-captain came out of the blocks strong and stayed in good form, fending off Brazilian Kesly Teodoro to win in 11.00 seconds (0.4) and advance to Saturday night’s final.
The 2024 World Para Athletics Championships will be streamed live on the IPC YouTube channel here.
The start list and results can be found here.