By Owen Morgan
Wales’ Hollie Arnold has claimed gold at the World Para Athletics European Championships to complete the grand slam of major javelin titles.
Arnold added European gold to the Paralympic, World and Commonwealth titles she already holds.
The Blackheath and Bromley athlete threw a championship record distance of 40.15m to claim gold for Great Britain in Berlin on Monday.
There was more medal joy for Welsh athletes with Harri Jenkins bagging the first gold for Britain of the championships on his bow in the T33 100metres
And Laura Sugar also added bronze to her growing medal collection in the T44/64 100m and will look to add more in the 200m on Wednesday.
World record holder Arnold said afterwards: “I am so happy to have all the titles now. It’s incredible to think I am Paralympic champion, world champion, world record holder and now European champion.”
Arnold said the European title was an unexpected bonus because she hadn’t expected the F46 javelin to be included in the championships.
The 24-year-old said: “My event is not normally in so this is a bonus. This is just a stepping stone ready for next year and Tokyo. I am so excited to get knuckling down for winter training.
“A massive thanks to my coach Dave Turner; he has been an absolute legend, supporting me through my ups and downs. Before this competition we were like ‘we’re not ready’ but today just proves that it is still there and I am really excited for the next upcoming events.
“He [Dave] is fantastic, we are a perfect match for coach and athlete, he just gets me and supports me. He has really helped me side-by-side and I probably wouldn’t be here winning this gold medal if it wasn’t for him so a massive thanks to him. We have got bigger things to fry and I am really excited for the next few months ahead.
Arnold, who broke the world record on her way to gold for Wales at the Commonwealth Games in April, also thanked her family and friends for their support: “My Mum, Dad and boyfriend are all here and I think it is really special to be able to celebrate with your family and to give them a big hug because they are a massive part of my life.
“They moved all the way from Wales for me for six/seven years so massive credit to them – I love them all to pieces.
“I am just so happy I have done it now and I can have a little bit of a rest and then we are straight back into winter training because we need to get ready for the next few years.
“I feel kind of old in the sport now because I have been doing it for like 10 years and I am only 24, but every time you compete you have different experiences from each event.
“I have never had the experience of competing at a Europeans before, it got taken out in Swansea 2014. I was so looking forward to compete, I was ready and in shape, so coming out here was an extra bonus and I thought ‘I’m here, why not enjoy it’ and try and get the crowd going and just go for it.”
Arnold won gold ahead of Poland’s Katarzyna Piekart, who claimed silver with 32.59m and Serbia’s Saska Sokolov who threw 32.17 in third.
On his international debut for GB & NI, Jenkins kick-started the gold medal haul for the British team as he won the T33 100m.
With two athletes lining up in the event, both competitors knew only the winner would take home a medal. With this on the line, the Welshman was fired up and pushed hard to win in a time of 19.44 (-0.2), defeating Germany’s Denis Schmitz.
With his family cheering him on in the crowd, the South Wales-based athlete was buoyed to his first international medal as he asserted himself on this stage.
Jenkins commented afterwards: “I didn’t get out very well, but this track isn’t the best for times, so I wasn’t really concentrating on that, it was just about getting the win. I was going into the event hoping for gold and I have come away with it in the end, so I am really happy.
“Before coming out I was really disappointed I was competing right at the start of the week, but when I got here I was so happy I was right at the start.
“This week is going to be a lovely learning curve for me for the future, I am just going to soak in this week and just learn where everything is and how everything goes, and this is what this week will give me. I think this week will be key going forward to hopefully the world championships next year and going forward to Tokyo.”
Birch field harrier Sugar blasted out of the blocks and got the better of eventual gold and silver medallists Marlene van Gansewinkel of the Netherlands and Germany’s Irmgard Bensusan over the opening half of the race but was overhauled by the fast finishing pair to clock a time of 13.63 (+0.8).
Sugar said: “I looked at the second-place time and that would have been a big PB for me to have come second. I would have liked to still come third in that race but with a slightly quicker time.
“But I am happy I have got a medal. I had two world record holders against me, but I knew I wanted to push in the first 60 which I think I did. The last 40m is not quite there yet, but I am getting there.”