Olivia Breen wins gold in T38 long jump at World Para Athletics Championships
Olivia Breen claimed Great Britain’s ninth gold medal of the World Para Athletics Championships on Monday’s fourth day of competition at the London Stadium.
After Aled Davies and Jonnie Peacock took Britain’s tally to eight gold medals on Sunday’s third day, Breen was triumphant in the T38 long jump.
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Breen, 21 later this month, won with a personal best of 4.81 metres. Erin Cleaver of Australia was second with a best of 4.61m and Anna Trener-Wierciak of Poland third with a best of 4.60.
The gold and silver medallists from Rio were absent, but Breen’s leap would have been good enough for Paralympic gold last September. She finished 12th in the Paralympic final, but has made vast improvement since.
Breen has been a world champion before, but this was her first as an individual after her relay success in Doha two years ago. She put together an impressive series, which included two fouls. She took the first-round lead with a jump of 4.61 and a personal best of 4.72 in the third round was followed by her fourth-round leap of 4.81. Victory was assured before the final round, where she leapt 4.75m.
Breen contemplated quitting after Rio, where she also missed out on selection for the sprint relay but moving to Loughborough, where she trains with the T44 long jump world champion Stef Reid under Aston Moore, has seen her make remarkable progress.
Breen, who has cerebral palsy, said: “I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs. It means so much to me. It’s just amazing. I knew it was in me. I wanted to get it right. I’m so happy.
“I did [consider quitting after Rio]. I didn’t want to quit, but I didn’t know if I could keep going. Rio was such a low, but it’s made me so much stronger as a person.
“I dug deep, made a change. I knew I had to change something. I moved to Loughborough and it’s been worth the journey. I’m so proud of myself. It’s so nice having a training partner like Stef Reid. She’s so positive. It’s made such a difference training with her.”
Further success is anticipated for the hosts on Monday, with the wheelchair racer Hannah Cockroft and double amputee Richard Whitehead chasing their second gold medals, in the T34 800m and T42 100m respectively. Whitehead qualified quickest in the T42 100m, an event he is yet to win at a global championships.
The 40-year-old, who won the 200m on Saturday, clocked 12.35 seconds. Dave Henson, the 200m bronze medallist, missed out on a place in the final.
Whitehead’s 15-year-old rival Ntando Mahlangu, of South Africa, fell spectacularly as he appeared to be cruising through. Mahlangu looked towards Whitehead and stumbled over, missing out on progressing to the final.
Sophie Kamlish set a world record of 12.90sec in qualifying quickest for the T44 100m final. Kamlish, a single-leg amputee, was fourth at the Rio Paralympics, despite setting the previous world record in the heat.
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“I slowed so much at the end I definitely wasn’t expecting a world record,” Kamlish said. “It felt like I just started walking at the end once I knew I had qualified. I did the same in Rio when the final didn’t go so well, but in Rio it was my mind messing me around a bit. I know how to deal with that now so I’ll be ready for the final this time.”
She was joined in the final by Laura Sugar, who finished her heat in 13.42sec for third place behind Marlou van Rhijn, a double amputee and the Paralympic champion. The Dutchwoman clocked 13.21.
The wheelchair racer Richard Chiassaro squeezed into the T54 800m final as one of two fastest losers, but third quickest qualifier. The Paralympic champion Marcel Hug of Switzerland led the way in 1:35.81 and is the favourite for the final.
Martina Barber was fourth in the T20 long jump won by Croatia’s Mikela Ristoski. Barber jumped a personal best of 5.17m and Ristoski leapt 5.66.