Beijing - Eva Kacanu has become the first Czech gold winning athlete in the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. She won the F54-56 Classification women's shot put with a record-breaking throw of 6.73 m.
The 43-year old athlete set her personal record with her first attempt of 6.59 m, taking the lead in the event. With her sixth shot she broke the world record 6.73m. No other competitor beat her score.
Just like Špotáková
"I terribly wanted this to happen. I wanted to win at the Paralympics and set my personal record. I am really happy because I have been dreaming about setting the world record for a very long time and here, I was able to achieve my goal," the athlete was all smiles after the contest.
She also pointed out the recent success of Czech javelin thrower Barbora Špotáková on the same stadium of the Beijing Olympics. "After my third and fourth round, it did not look like I was getting any better. But the last attempt turned out amazingly. After all, I followed Špotáková's example."
New world record was also set in the shot put discipline for the low handicap. German athlete Willing who finished second after the Czech athlete set the overall world record with her 8.61 m throw, but since she has a lighter handicap than Eva Kacanu and a lower coefficient, she did not win the event.
Spine injury as a new beginning
Eva Kacanu is a world champion of 2006 and a silver medal winner from the Athens Paralympics. She only started to do sports three years after her spine injury which she suffered in 1996.
"Of course, it is difficult. It took me at least two years before I reconciled with the fact that I was handicapped. But that made me live a fuller life," admits Kacanu.
She joined the world of top sports in 2000 when she was 35 years old. Since 2001, she has been able to win all the Czech championships that she attended.
"It is wonderful. I would never expect such a result. I have had some health problems before the Paralympics, so I was thinking that it would be great if I finished among the first five. This is so wonderful," said the first Czech gold medal winner.
Czech male athletes were also hoping for a medal in F55/56 shot put category, but Martin Němec, an experienced Czech athlete, only took the fourth place in the end. Miroslav Šperk was fifth, Josef Štiak seventh.
Results:
1. Kacanu (6.73 m = 1084 points, WR)
2. Willing (8.61 m = 1034 points, GER)
3. Buggenhagen (8.54 m = 1026 points, GER)
