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Day One 20/07/13
Brazil’s Odair Santos became the first track Gold medallist of the IPC World Championships in Lyon by winning the 5000m T11 men’s event, while Morocco’s highly successful El Amin Chentouf won in the men’s 5000m T12. Britain’s Hannah Cockroft triumphed in the women’s 200m T34 final with a Championship Record time of 31.78. In the men’s shot put F42 class, fellow Brit Aled Davies smashed the world record with a distance of 14.71m. Four other world records fell on the first day of the championships, Jarryd Wallace most prominent among them in the men’s 200m T44 semi-final with a time of 22.32s. Iran’s Mohsen Kaedi broke the record in the men’s javelin F33/34 with a throw of 43.41m, Maciej Lepiato jumped a massive 2.13m in the men’s high jump T42/ 44 while the men’s long jump T36 was won in world record fashion by Ukrainian Roman Pavlyk with a distance of 5.44m. Pavlyk’s teammate Andrii Holivets won the men’s shot put F12 gold. Elsewhere in the T46 5000m Algeria’s Samir Nouioua emerged victorious, while Iranian Mohammed Khalvadi emulated the success of fellow javelin thrower and countryman Kaedi by winning the men’s javelin F57/58.
Day Two 21/07/13
Brit Josie Pearson smashed the world record in the women’s discus throw F51/52/53 to take gold on day two of the championships, her remarkable distance of 7.09m more than enough to secure victory. Pearson’s was one of nine world records which fell on day two, among them the firm crowd favourite Mandy Francois-Elie of France, who won the women’s 200m T37 with a time of 28.35s. Jason Smyth of Ireland became a world record holder and world champion in the men’s 200m T13 with a superb time of just 21.05s, with his countryman Michael McKillop continuing his utter domination of the men’s T37 middle distance events with a fantastic time of 1:57:17, a world record and five seconds faster than silver placed Australian Brad Scott. Jarryd Wallace smashed his own day old world record in the 200m T44 final with a time of 22.08s and was magnanimous in victory, declaring himself ‘humbled’ by the achievement, ‘The day I made the decision to have my leg amputated in February 2010 I pulled up the world record list and said my name will be on this list. I didn’t know when, or which event, I just knew it would happen’. His teenage teammate Raymond Martin won his second gold of the championships in the 800m T52. Defending champion Dan Greaves of Great Britain was defeated by his American rival Jeremy Campbell in the men’s discus F44, 58.86m the winning throw. Tatyana McFadden won gold in the women’s 200m T54, continuing her habit of success after picking up 4 gold medals at the previous world championships in New Zealand. Elsewhere, Brazil’s Alan Fonteles Cardoso Oliveria smashed the 200m T43 world record with a time of 20.66.
Day Three 22/07/13
Two Brits set Championship records on day three of the IPC World Championships, as Paul Blake and Hannah Cockroft enjoyed victories in the men’s 800m T36 and the women’s 100m T34 respectively. Blake’s time was an impressive 2:06:10 while Hannah clocked an equally notable 17.88s. Blake powered down the straight to win a close race, and puts his strong finish down to a new training regime, ‘I put a lot more work in the gym this seasons just for strength and to help me with my finishing and its paid off here. It’s the hardest I’ve ever raced’. Hollie Arnold completed the roundup of successful British athletes, winning the women’s javelin F46 with a distance of 37.45m. It was an incredible day for Russian athletes, who smashed four world records. Ego Sharov won the men’s 800m T12 with a time of 1:50:02, Maria Bogacheva threw 7.56m in the women’s shot put F54, Evgenii Shvetcov won the men’s 100m T36 in 11.90s and his teammate Andrey Vdovin won the men’s 100m T37 by dipping over the line, recording a time of 11.48s that was just enough to win him the medal. Germany’s Sebastien Dietz destroyed the previous world record by over two meters with a 42.18m throw in the F35/36 discus. Hermas Muvuyni, one of only three Rwandan athletes at their first ever championships, won the men’s 800m T46. Swiss Marcel Hug won his third gold medal of the championships by winning the men’s 800m T54. Mohammed Berrahal set a world record in the men’s discus F51/52/53 with a tremendous throw of 13.16m.
Day Four 23/07/13
Aled Davies, Richard Whitehead and Jonnie Peacock all tasted success on the fourth day in Lyon. Aled Davie won the men’s discus F42 with a throw of 47.62m, Whitehead won the men’s T42 200m with a time of 24.95s. Jonnie Peacock’s superb time of 10.99s was enough to win the much fought over men’s 100m T44, beating American rival Richard Browne who had managed to set a world record the day before. Elsewhere Morocco’s long distance star El Amin Chentouf destroyed the field in the 10,000m T12 to claim his second gold medal of the championships, finishing almost two laps clear of his closest rival. He managed to break the 30 minute park for the first time, recording an incredible time of 29:38:85. Brazilian Odair Santos predictably won the 800m T11 to secure his second gold of the championships, one short of his tally at the previous World Championships in New Zealand. His teammate Alan Fonteles Cardoso Oliveira showed why he is the poster boy of Rio 2016 with a victory in the men’s T43 100m. There was more Russian glory as Nikol Rodomakina jumped a personal best of 5.92m in the women’s long jump F46 and Nikita Prokhorov set a world record in the men’s shot put F46 with a distance of 15.69m. American Tatyana McFadden eased to victory in the 800m T54 with a world record of 1:44:44; she has now won the 100m, 400m and 800m, with the 1500m still to come.
Day Five 24/07/13
Day five in France belonged to sixteen year old Sophie Hahn, the young Brit setting an incredible world record of 13.10s in the women’s 100m T38 and claimed Britain’s 10th gold medal of the championships. Home favourite Mandy Francois-Elie sent the crowd wild with her second gold medal of the championships, finishing more than half a second ahead of her competitors in the women’s 100m T37 with a time of 13.72s, telling the assembled world media ‘I am euphoric. It was another really tough race’. In the men’s 100m T46, just 0.06s separated the podium. Poland’s Michal Derus won in 10.93s, a championship record. Irish runners Jason Smyth and Michael McKillop tasted glory in the men’s 100m T13 and men’s 1500m T38 respectively. Smyth recorded a championship record time of 10.72s, while McKillop also hit a championship record with his time of 4:10:17. Canada’s Brent Lakatos won his second gold, beating his own championship record by half a second with 25.46s in the 200m T53. There were further assaults on world records by the Russian team, as Artem Arefyev won the men’s 1500m T36 in 4:32:89 and Andrey Vdovin won the men’s 200m T37 in 22.77s (becoming the first man under 23s in the process). Italian Assunta Legnante set a world record in the women’s shot put F11 with a distance of 16.79m. There was drama elsewhere as fierce rivals Marieke Vervoort of Belgium and Canada’s Michelle Stilwell collided with 200m to go in their 800m T52 final. The Belgian came out worse as her wheelchair flipped, and it allowed American Kerry Morgan to storm ahead to apparent victory. It was decreed, however, that the race was to be replayed, and Vervoort was disqualified.
Day Six 25/07/13
Fifteen year old Scott Jones represented Britain’s only victory of the day, incredibly winning the men’s F54 shot put with a world record distance of 13.38m in his debut competition. Jason Smyth set a championship record for Ireland and himself with a time of 10.61s in the men’s 100m T13, remaining undefeated in Paralympic competition. Maria Pomazon set a world record in the women’s f35/36 women’s discus throw (breaking her own previous record), the Ukrainian’s distance of 31.42m enough for the gold. Algeria’s Lahouari Bahlaz also etched his name into the history books with a world record 37.51m in the men’s club throw F31/32/51. American Tatyana McFadden made it a superb five out of five as she clinched the gold in the 1500m and 100m T54. She still hopes to finish the championships on six golds, with the 400m remaining. ‘It’s unbelievable,’ said McFadden, ‘Today was my toughest day with the 1500m and the 100m, two very different races requiring different focuses. I knew the 1500m would be hard and exhausting, I was feeling really tired today, it was really tough. The 100m is the hardest race for me- my start was ok, I just need to work on it’. Her teenage teammate Raymond Martin picked up his fourth gold medal of the championships, the nineteen year old winning the 200m T52. Odair Santos took his country’s tenth gold of the championships to win the 1500m T11 in comfortable style.
Day Seven 26/07/13
Although there wasn’t much to cheer about from a purely British perspective, day seven of the IPC world championships in Lyon was still host to an assortment of excitements. Yet more world records fell to Russians, with Vladimir Sviridov equalling the previous world record of 14.70 in the men’s shot put F36, and his countryman seventeen year old Chermen Kobesov won the men’s 400m T37 in an impressive time of 51.88s. Alan Fonteles Oliveira won the men’s 400m T44, a race in which bronze medallist David Prince had to leave quickly after being told his wife was in labour as he crossed the line. Germany’s Paralympic champion Heinrich Popow and his Australian rival Scott Reardon shared the spoils in the men’s 100m T42, both enduring a nervous wait until it was confirmed that they had both run a fantastic 12.68s. The title was initially given to Popow, but following an appeal by the Australians both were deservedly awarded gold. With Belgian Marieke Vervoort disqualified from the rerun of the women’s 100m T52, it was an easy win for her Canadian rival Michelle Stilwell, who expressed her happiness, ‘I’m so moved! I came to win the gold medal. I’ve been quite bothered by the wind that slowed me down, but finally the victory is mine’. Ewa Durska of Poland clinched her second consecutive world title with victory in the shot put F20. The 36-year-old threw 13.18m, the only athlete to go beyond the 12m mark, to add to the Paralympic gold she won last year. Chinese Taipei won their first gold medal as Chih-Chung threw a personal best of 59.29m in the javelin F12/13.
Day Eight 27/07/13 and Day Nine 28/07/13
Five more world records fell on the eighth day of the championships, with Nassima Saifi of Algeria throwing 42.05m in the women’s discus F57/58, the United States men’s relay team winning the 100m T42/46 and Lahouari Bahlaz winning the men’s discus F32/33/34 with a distance of 22.75m. More world records fell to the Russians, as Marta Prokofyeva won the women’s F12 shot put with a distance of 13.12m and Dmitrii Safronov won the men’s 200m T35 with a time of 24.69s. The great Tatyana McFadden then became the first person to ever record six gold medals at the world championships with her victory in the 400m. McFadden was in a state of shock after the event, ‘I can’t quite believe it, it’s definitely a dream come true- the first woman to win all events from the 100m, to the 5000m. History is made. To sweep six in a row is really, really tough but you have to have belief in the events you do because if you start to have doubts then you already start to lose the race’. McFadden had already won 4 golds in London. Raymond Martin became the first man to win five titles at the world championships, winning the 400m T52 in 59.85s, a championship record. Records fell in the men’s discus F32/33/34. Algeria’s Lahouari Bahlaz (22.75m/1024) broke the F32 world record for gold whilst China’s Yanzhang Wang (46.79m/952) and Saudi Arabia’s Hani Alnakhli (32.87m/950) broke the F34 and F33 championship records respectively for silver and bronze. Day nine of the championships was a day of marathon events, with Morocco’s El Amin Chentouf winning the men’s T12 marathon, Cristian Valenzuela winning the T11 men’s marathon for Chile, Alessandro di Lello winning the T46 men’s marathon for Italy and Marcel hug of Switzerland winning the T54 marathon. The women’s T54 marathon was won by Hug’s compatriot Manuela Schaer.