TT ATHLETE Akeem Stewart wrote his name into the record books yesterday, smashing not simply the meet record but the World Men’s Discus mark on day four of the World Parapan Games in Toronto.
He achieved a distance of 63.03 metres, and in fact crossed the 60-metre line twice during the competition.
Stewart, a powerfull- built athlete from Tobago was virtually assured of the gold medal after the opening round, hurling the disc a fantastic 60.36 metres; none of the other competitors was able to reach 58 on the day. He then fouled on his next three attempts before skipping his fifth opportunity.
In the final round, Stewart hurled the discus 63.03 metres to add world renown to his gold medal.
Americans Jeremy Campbell (57.32) and David Blair (56.83) finished second and third respectively. Stewart’s throw beat the previous Parapan Games record of 55.81 metres, set by China’s Xia Dong in London 2012 by more than four-and-a-half metres.