Canadian runner Nate Riech shatters his own Paralympic world record at Portland track meet
B.C.'s Renee Foessel sets new national women's discus record in F38 classification
Canada's Nate Riech blew the roof off his Paralympic world record in the men's 1,500 metres at a track meet in Portland, Ore., on Saturday.
For the second time in the past month, the native of Victoria, B.C., has rewritten the record books after running a world-leading T 38 time of three minutes, 47.89 seconds.
It's the first time that the 26-year-old middle-distance star has run a sub 3:50.
He came close two weeks ago at a meet in Azusa, Calif., where he had previously shattered his personal best with 3:50.47.
Every time <a href="https://twitter.com/NateGraywolf?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NateGraywolf</a> steps on the track, he lowers his time in the 1500 metres. His new world-leading T38 time is 3:47.89, running sub-3:50 for the first time at the Portland Track Festival! <a href="https://t.co/xiCKvOt3T8">pic.twitter.com/xiCKvOt3T8</a>
—@AthleticsCanadaHis new personal best, however, is nearly three seconds faster.
Riech will make his Paralympics debut in Tokyo this summer. The six-foot-three runner lost some mobility on the right side of his body when he was hit in the head by a golf ball at age 10.
He went on to run National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) track against able-bodied competitors for Furman University and South Alabama. He was an instant star in Paralympic track, shattering two world records in his international Paralympic debut in 2018.
He'll only run the 1,500 metres in Tokyo, as the International Paralympic Committee eliminated the 800 metre and 5,000 metre for his classification. He hopes to do both the 400 and 1,500 at the 2024 Games.
Foessel sets new Canadian discus record
Paralympian Renee Foessel set a Canadian women's discus record at the Cruisers Classic track and field meet on Saturday in Brampton, Ont.
The Mississauga, Ont., native threw the discus 34.47 metres to set a new national mark in the F38 classification.
The throw also launched Foessel up to 4th in the world rankings.
Born with cerebral palsy that affects one side of her body, Foessel will be looking to medal at the Tokyo Paralympics, which run from Aug. 24 to Sept. 5.
She finished fourth at the Paralympics in 2016 and narrowly missed the podium at worlds in 2017.
At the 2015 Parapan Am Games in Toronto, Foessel won gold in discus, silver in shot put and bronze in javelin.
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With files from The Canadian Press