World Record secures Rio gold for Jo

Sunday 11th September 2016

Jo Butterfield claimed Paralympic gold in Rio in the F51 Club Throw event with a World Record!

The Glasgow-based athlete, who only took up the sport just over two years ago, came up with a 22.81m throw to win the event late on Sunday night and in so doing broke her own World Record.

Butterfield had thrown 22.60m with her first effort to get into the lead in the competition and then ‘smashed it’ with 22.81 m to add Parlaympic gold to the IPC World title she won in Doha last year.

All at scottishathletics send our warmest congratulations to Jo, her family and coaches Phil Peat and Shona Malcolm in Rio. Jo joined the scottishathletics board earlier this year.

‘I smashed it,’ she said afterwards, with Jo having held the World Record at 22.75m.

‘This is what you dream of. It is what I’ve prepared for; it is what me, Phil (Peat) and Shona (Malcolm) work hard for and we have done it.

BBC Sport website coverage

Watch Jo throw

‘It still hasn’t quite sunk in, we were whisked straight to a medal ceremony but I cannot stop smiling. It was hard work to get here – it’s been six years since a life-changing experience so to then be here on the biggest stage in the world; it feels amazing.

‘My first throw was just short of the world record and that felt quite easy so I knew all I had to do was put a bit more speed into it.

‘The second one, I held my breath because I’ve had a bit of a sore shoulder so I knew I didn’t necessarily have six big throws in me so I had to get it in straight away. I held my breath and went for speed then saw it fly.’

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Also giving her all in the stadium on Sunday night was Sammi Kinghorn, in her second final of the Games.

After a fifth place in the T53 100m, Sammi raced in the 400m final and finished in sixth place but was then disqualified for a false start.

‘I am still young, only three and a half years into the sport, so there is still a lot more for me to give,’ she said.

On Thursday night, in her first ever Paralympic Games final, Sammi had crossed the line fifth in the T53 100m final.

After earlier qualifying for the final in supreme fashion, the ParalympicsGB athlete built up her speed after a slow start, finding extra power on the final few metres to post a time of 17.13. The Scot was the youngest in the field.

Good luck to Sammi and coach Ian Mirfin for the T53 800m later this week.

Tags: Jo Butterfield, Paralympics, Rio, Sammi Kinghorn