By Owen Morgan
At last year’s Welsh Indoor Athletics Championships, Sabrina Fortune outlined her ambitions for the coming year.
With both the Para Athletics World Championships in May and the Paris Paralympics in September circled on her 2024 calendar, there was plenty to aim for.
And Fortune knew exactly what she wanted – two titles and the F20 shot put world record.
“I want both golds,” she had told me immediately after winning the senior women’s shot put title at the National Indoor Athletics Centre in Cardiff.
“But I really want a world record at the Paralympics. That’s what my aim is. I’ve been aiming for that for the last two years.”
Fast forward 12 months to last weekend, and I was interviewing Fortune again, once more in the wake for her winning the Welsh indoor shot put title.
Sabrina Fortune has had plenty to smile about over the past 12 months. Pic: Owen Morgan
I reminded her of the conversation we’d had 12 months before and the fact she’d achieved each of her goals – with an MBE as the icing on a very satisfactory cake.
“Yes! I got my golds, and I got my world record, which is just crazy,” said Fortune.
“I’m so happy with how last year went. And then to get an MBE from the King, that just topped it off for me.”
2024 was a truly remarkable year for Fortune.
In April, the Deeside AAC athlete equalled the world record of 14.39 at the Leamington Spring Throws event, which boded well for the Para World Championships in Japan the following month.
Indeed, Fortune twice broke the world record on her way to winning her third consecutive world title in Kobe with a best distance of 14.73m.
In July, she extended the record again when throwing 14.83m at the English Championships in Birmingham.
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But it was in Paris on the first day of September that Fortune produced her very best performance and realised her dreams.
With the very first throw of the night she effectively ended the event as a competition by hurling the shot out to a staggering new world record of 15.12m which inevitably clinched her maiden Paralympic gold medal.
Having safely pocketed her brace of bling and a clutch of world records, I asked Fortune whether she had expected to achieve all her goals when she had listed them to me 12 months before.
“No. Not at all,” she replied emphatically. “I always say it’s better to dream bigger, and then just go with the flow. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.
“It was one of those years that it was just meant to be, and honestly, I couldn’t have been more proud of it.”
Fortune had every reason to be proud. Especially of her performance in Paris at the magnificent Stade De France, which was packed to its huge capacity on the evening of the shot put final.
“The Paralympics was incredible, just hearing the roar,” said Fortune, clearly relishing the memory.
“It was the first time I’ve ever heard that many people. We had 80,000 people there when I was competing.
“I’ve never had that before. It was an incredible feeling, having everyone behind you, even though they’re all from different countries.
“Everything about it. It was incredible. It was just something that truly opened your eyes. I still can’t believe it.”
Asked whether the experience of competing in front of such a huge crowd and global TV audience was daunting or inspiring, Fortune said: “It was scary to be in front of that many people, but it was more inspiring really.
“For the younger generations to come, it just shows that it doesn’t matter how scary something can be, you will always be able to do something about it. You’ll always be able to push further.”
Fortune’s performance at the Welsh Championships last weekend suggests she may be able to push even further in the coming year.
At last year’s event, the 27-year-old won the title with a best of 13.88m. Last weekend, she retained her title with a best of 14.51m – her best ever indoor effort.
The performance bodes well for the coming year, with another World Championship on the horizon – this time in New Delhi, starting on September 26.
Asked what this year’s ambitions were, Fortune said: “Hopefully a fourth world title and maybe another world record. I’d also love to be able to do the British Championships and finish quite high there.”
But first, the Welsh senior female athlete of the year has a royal appointment at Windsor Castle to look forward to.
If gold medals and world records had been on her wish list for 2024, finding out she was to be awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours list was a total bolt from the blue.
“It was one of the most surreal experiences you could ever have,” said Fortune. “Honestly, I ran around the kitchen for about 10 minutes just crying and going ‘oh my God, oh my God’, because I wasn’t expecting it. I truly wasn’t.
“I’ve now got it behind my name permanently. And I’m like, ‘why’? ‘All I’ve done is throw a shot put.’
“But it’s incredible and it just feels so nice to be recognised for all the sport, all the achievements I’ve done throughout the years. It’s a real honour.
“I’m getting it on February 12 at Windsor Castle and I can’t wait!”