World Para Athletics Championships: Hollie Arnold maintains javelin dominance

Arnold is one of the most experienced campaigners on the British team

Britain's Hollie Arnold won her fifth F46 javelin title in a row to claim Britain's fourth gold at the Para Athletics World Championships in Paris.

The 29-year-old, who was born without her right forearm, threw a season's best of 41.06m in the fourth round.

It was a superb return to form for the Welsh athlete after she could only manage bronze at the Tokyo Paralympics.

"It feels amazing to win again 10 years after my first world title," she told BBC Sport.

Arnold fell to the ground in tears when her win was confirmed as she exorcised the ghosts of Tokyo, where she came in as defending champion and led going into the final round only to see two rivals overtake her.

Her victory adds to the titles she won in Lyon in 2013, Doha (2015), London (2017) and Dubai (2019).

"I was heartbroken after Tokyo but that just ignited the fire within me," she said.

"Coming here to retain my title and throw the furthest I have since 2019, I am so happy.

"It was close all through but I just knew today was mine and I was going to fight for it and I am so so glad.

"I wasn't going to give up without a fight."

Serbia's Saska Sokolov took the silver medal with a personal best of 39.96, while Venezuela's Naibys Daniela Morillo Gil was third with a throw of 39.40.

Born in Grimsby but now based in Loughborough, Arnold made her Great Britain debut at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics aged just 14 and took part in the 2020 series of the ITV show I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

"It's been really hard since Tokyo," Arnold admitted. "I wasn't in a good place going there and to lead through the whole competition and then lose in the last round was tough.

"I remembered that feeling and I said it wasn't going to happen to me again today. I didn't want to lose another title, so for me it was about being headstrong and believing in yourself.

"Coming here I had a bit of a shoulder injury and I was very nervous this morning but it was all about remembering what I had done before, because I have been competing since I was 11, and visualising what I have done before and using that pure passion."

Wheelchair racers Danny Sidbury and Nathan Maguire both missed out on medals in the T54 400m, finishing fourth and fifth respectively, while Eden Rainbow-Cooper qualified for Thursday's women's T54 1500m final.