Fortune twice extends world record on way to gold

Fortune is set to compete at her third Paralympics in Paris this summer

Britain’s Sabrina Fortune twice extended the world record on her way to defending her shot put title at the World Para Athletics Championships in Japan.

Fortune, who competes in the F20 category for athletes with intellectual impairments, threw 14.56m in the second round in Kobe, improving the 14.39 mark set by Ecuador’s Poleth Mendes on her way to winning Paralympic gold in Tokyo in 2021.

The 26-year-old Welsh woman had taken the lead in the first round with 14.18 and with the gold medal secured, she improved again to 14.73 with the final throw of the competition.

"I’ve thrown two world records in a day which is incredible," said Fortune, who also took world gold in Dubai in 2019 and retained her title in Paris last summer.

"I just had to tell myself after the first world record not to celebrate too early because I knew if I overdid it, I wouldn’t throw any further.

"It’s hard to put into words how it felt to throw even further. I just wanted to run round and round in circles."

Mendes took silver with 13.90 with Neutral Paralympic Athlete Aleksandra Zaitseva in third with 13.01.

It is Britain’s third gold medal of the championships after victories for javelin thrower Hollie Arnold and high jumper Jonathan Broom-Edwards over the opening two days of competition.

Of the other Britons in finals action on Sunday, Mo Jomni was fifth in the men’s T53 400m while fellow wheelchair racer Mel Woods was seventh in the women’s T54 800m and sprinter Ali Smith seventh in the T38 100m.