Shot putter wins her third global title as she wins at the World Para Champs with a world record of 14.73m

Sabrina Fortune took her third consecutive world women’s F20 shot put title in a world record of 14.73m in Kobe, Japan, on Sunday (May 19).

The Briton broke the world record twice in her series – firstly with a best of 14.56m – and then on the final throw when she already knew she had secured the global gold for the third time.

Fortune secured the hat-trick of golds in a remarkable series which she had threatened all year after a confident start to the season in April. In Kobe, the Welsh athlete dominated the shot put circle as she rewrote the record books.

She opened with a strong throw of 14.18m to go into an early lead before extending the lead with the 14.56m, which was 17cm further than the previous record held by Poleth Isamar Mendes Sanchez of Ecuador, who would finish in second with a best of 13.90m.

After throws of 13.64m and 14.23m followed by a foul in round five, she left her best til last with 14.73m.

She said: “It was an amazing experience, something that I couldn’t have ever dreamed of … getting a world record. I’ve thrown two world records in a day which is incredible.

"I’ve been throwing so many good throws in the last two weeks, so I wasn’t expecting any less. To hit 14m on my first throw was absolutely crazy.

“I just had to tell myself [after the 14.56m world record] not to celebrate too early because that’s a PB in itself, but I knew if I overdid it, I wouldn’t throw any further. I had to keep a straight face, I kept going to grin, but I knew I had to hold it together right through the competition.

“I was over the moon with 14.73m. It’s hard to put into words how it felt to throw even further. I just wanted to run round and round in circles.”

Previous gold medals for Britain have come from Hollie Arnold and Jonathan Broom-Edwards.

Full results here.

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