Jonathan Broom-Edwards (coach: Beth Miller, club: Newham and Essex Beagles) secured his third consecutive men’s T64 High Jump world title on the second day of action at the World Para Athletics Championships Kobe24.
Great Britain and Northern Ireland added three medals to their tally with Thomas Young (Joe McDonnell, Charnwood) back on the podium with silver in the T38 100m, while Zac Shaw (Leon Baptiste, Cleethorpes) added a second individual world bronze to his CV in the T12 100m. After gold medals in Dubai and Paris – with a Paralympic gold sandwiched in between - Broom-Edwards has been one of GB & NI’s most consistent performers in recent years and looked in serene form early in the T64 high jump competition.
In a competition full of surprises, Broom-Edwards took a time to enter at his first height with a field of nine in the contest. He entered at 1.90m and flew over that height in easy fashion, similarly, gliding over 1.94m comfortably.
With long-term rival Maciej Lepiato (POL) skipping heights to 2.01m after going over 1.90m, the Briton ensured safe progress over 1.98m, and matched his Polish opponent’s clearance at 2.01m. This is where Lepiato – who Broom-Edwards shared gold with in Paris – would falter, and three fouls at 2.04m brought an end to his competition.
The Briton, meanwhile, cleared 2.04m on his first attempt to put himself in pole position for gold. T64 athlete Derek Loccident (USA) surprised the whole field as he went clear over 2.04m on his third and final attempt to take him into silver.
Neither athlete cleared 2.07m, but the Briton’s scorecard was the cleaner of the two and Broom-Edwards took the title on countback. Afterwards, the Tokyo 2020 champion said: “We set out a plan and we put it into motion, and we ticked all the boxes.
“There is still a lot to work on with the performance even though it is early in the season. I am so happy with how the competition went. My body is battered now, I think I celebrated a bit too hard on the 2.04m clearance!
“I had to adjust to lots of things, the competition, the temperature. It’s quite late here whereas my final in Paris (Paralympics) will be in the morning, but I have to get a little better at managing my hydration and energy levels.
“It is so good to see so many new faces in the competition. The field was stacked. There have been times when I’ve been waiting an hour and a half to start jumping, but it wasn’t like that today because there was a similar standard throughout.
“It is amazing to see the sport is evolving, to see the young whipper snappers coming up and teaching us old dogs how to do it.” Thomas Young continued his comeback in the T38 100m as he secured his second world silver medal after a fast and furious finish to his race.
After qualifying as second fastest in Friday evening’s heats, the Briton came into the medal showdown high in confidence as he looked to get back in the medals after missing out in 2023. With others quick out of the blocks, Young showed great composure and all his quality to fight through the field and rise from outside the medals to second position in the last 40 metres.
Jaydin Blackwell (USA) was the runaway winner in 10.86 (0.8), with the Paralympic champion a close second in 11.02 to seal the silver and add to Great Britain and Northern Ireland’s medal tally at the Championships. China’s Zhou Peng was third in 11.07.
Young commented afterwards: “I would’ve loved to have got the win, but we have got Paris in a couple of months’ time so that is the main focus of the year, but that was a brilliant run today. It was an unbelievable race to be a part of.
“The T38 class is so strong right now, so to be involved in the medals is incredible. The race felt ok – the start was ok, the middle could have been better I think, but my finish was strong.”
Matching his performance from the 2023 Championships, Zac Shaw (Leon Baptiste, Cleethorpes) earned his second world bronze medal in the T12 100m after a superb display under the lights in Kobe. Shaw had to contend with a faulty start which brought the field back under the green card, but he did not let the distractions faze him, and he got out of the blocks strongly again at the second time of asking.
Knowing his main rival for the bronze was Moucef Bouja (MAR) in lane one, Shaw gave everything over the short sprint from lane seven as he came through to clock 10.97 (0.1) ahead of his Moroccan rival’s 11.03. Turkey’s Serkan Yildirim narrowly took the gold by 0.02s ahead of the American Noah Malone in a Championship record time of 10.53.
Shaw was delighted with his bronze medal, and said afterwards: “I didn’t think I’d cry but I am so happy.
“Competing in a visually impaired class, I could tell the two in the middle were away, but I couldn’t see what the athlete in lane two was doing, so I wasn’t sure if I had won the bronze. It genuinely means the world to me.
“Last year I got silver in the relay and bronze in the individual. So, to win bronze again is amazing – I think I came into the Championships with little expectations as it is so early in the season, so to open up and win a medal at a worlds means so much to me.”
During the morning session, Shaw’s fellow co-captain Ali Smith (Benke Blomkvist, Guildford & Godalming) ensured smooth progression into the women’s T38 100m final. Smith was the sole British competitor in action on the second morning session in Japan, and she made it a successful start as she moved in Sunday evening’s final as an automatic qualifier.
Racing in heat two of two, Smith lined up alongside reigning world champion Darian Faisury Jimenez Sanchez (COL) as she looked to secure a top three place to guarantee her passage into the final. Smith got out of the blocks well and was level pegging with Ella Pardy (AUS) for the opening stages, and although the Australian narrowly took second place ahead of Smith, the Briton clocked 13.52 (-0.7) for third place.
Sanchez won the heat in 13.05. Heat one was won by Hungary’s Luka Ekler who faced a mighty headwind of -2.9 to clock 13.11. After her race, Smith said, “I’m just really pleased, it is really nice to be back.
Last time I did this race [at a Worlds] I did not feel well and went to hospital almost straight afterwards, so to get through to the final and feel good makes me very happy. To be doing this Championships in a good headspace means I just want to get out on that track and race more.
“I genuinely thought my career was over last year, so to be here as co-captain too, I am so grateful.
“I’m not sure the team know how much this means to me and how much it has helped me to come back, so I am very appreciative.” The 2024 World Para Athletics Championships will be live on the IPC YouTube channel.
The Great Britain and Northern Ireland medal tally:
Gold (2): Hollie Arnold [F46 Javelin], Jonathan Broom-Edwards [T64 High Jump]
Silver (1): Thomas Young [T38 100m]
Bronze (1): Zac Shaw [T12 100m]
