By David Williams
Aled Davies has already set his sights on more world records next year after he completed a decade of dominance in the men’s F63 shot put at the World Para Athletics Championships in Paris with an incredible fifth gold medal.
The Great Britain para sport legend joined fellow Welsh throwers Sabrina Fortune and Hollie Arnold in winning gold at the championships.
Davies – who was competing in the shot put for just the fourth time this year and fifth time since retaining his Paralympic title in Tokyo September 2021 – won his fifth successive world title in the event dating back to Lyon in 2013, with a fifth-round best of 16.16m on his return to France.
Dai Sport revealed in May that the Bridgend thrower has been troubled by a severe hip injury all year, but when it came to his most important competion of the year, he delivered yet again.
Through the storms and setbacks, I’ve learned the power of perseverance – I love this game and the people I share it with.
Curtain call. Tomorrow we dance again 🕺🏼😤☄️
📺 18:00 🇫🇷/ 17:00 🇬🇧
will be streamed live on @c4paralympics
and @Paralympics YouTube. pic.twitter.com/1BUzXrDrjV— Aled Sion Davies (@AledDavies2012) July 16, 2023
Davies said: “The performance probably wasn’t my best, but after the winter I’ve had it was all about just holding it together out there.
“I think my coach will be quite frustrated, but we know what I’m capable of doing and I guess after the disruptive winter I’ve had I’m just happy I can defend my title.
“It was going to be hit and miss whether I was going to be here and there’s no way I could have sat at home and just forfeited a title – I’m glad I could come here and defend it.
“I put together a 16m throw which was good enough today, but I’ll be back next year for the big throw.”
Davies spent almost all of last year competing in the discus, winning the Commonwealth title for Team Wales in Birmingham, but has done nothing but shot put so far in 2023 and was impressive in the defence of his world title in Paris.
An opening throw of 15.02m gave him a lead he would never relinquish with Davies breaking 16m after a second-round foul with a mark of 16.11m in the third round.
A fifth world title tonight for Aled Davies, Britain’s 10th gold of these championships. Doing Wales proud, over and over https://t.co/AfdQn0xFWR
— Alex Spink (@alexspinkmirror) July 17, 2023
A foul in the fourth round preceded his best throw of 16.16m in round five.
Davies completed his competition with a foul as he won by almost two metres – a fifth global title in the shot put added to the three he has in the discus, meaning he is now an eight-time world champion as well as a three-time Paralympic gold medallist.
Davies added: “As an athlete I’ve always thought about delivering the performance. In London 2017 when I threw my personal best in front of a home crowd, I knew that was what it was all about, that was what all the hard work was for and that was what I wanted.
“I’ve strived for that ever since and there’s been a lot of ups and downs, like any athlete’s journey it’s never plain sailing.
“What motivates me is I know I’ve got much bigger throws, I know that that world record’s going to go, I know I can throw 18, 19 metres and that’s what I’m aiming for now.
“I’ve told my coach that’s the aim. I want to come back next year and throw a personal best – a world record, in Paris, at the Paralympic Games and absolutely obliterate that Paralympic record once and for all.”
There were also bronzes in the final session for wheelchair racer Danny Sidbury (T54 800m) and sprinters Kevin Santos (T47 100m) and Maria Lyle (T35 100m) as GB finished in fourth place in the medal table behind China, Brazil and the United States with 29 medals – 10 gold, eight silvers and 11 bronzes.
Results
The Great Britain and Northern Ireland medallists:
GOLD: [10] Gavin Drysdale [Men’s T72 100m], Jonathan Broom-Edwards [Men’s T64 high jump], Sabrina Fortune [Women’s F20 shot put], Hollie Arnold [Women’s F46 javelin], Hannah Cockroft [Women’s T34 100m, Women’s T34 800m], Sammi Kinghorn [Women’s T53 100m], Daniel Pembroke [Men’s F13 javelin], Ben Sandilands [Men’s T20 1500m], Aled Davies [Men’s F63 shot put]
SILVER: [8] Rafi Solaiman [Men’s T72 100m], Sammi Kinghorn [Women’s T53 800m, Women’s T53 400m], Kare Adenegan [Women’s T34 100m, Women’s T34 800m], Olivia Breen [Women’s T38 long jump], Michael Jenkins [Men’s F38 shot put], Universal 4x100m relay
BRONZE: [11] Zac Shaw [Men’s T12 100m], Danny Sidbury [Men’s T54 5000m, Men’s T54 800m], Maria Lyle [Women’s T35 200m, Women’s T35 100m], Sophie Hahn [Women’s T38 100m, Women’s T38 200m], Fabienne André [Women’s T34 100m], Dan Greaves [Men’s F64 discus], Zak Skinner [Men’s T13 long jump], Kevin Santos [Men’s T47 100m]
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