World records smashed by European stars

Two world records fell and another was equalled in a thrilling weekend of para-athletics around the world.

Germany’s Paralympic, world and European long jump champion Markus Rehm (T44) smashed his own world record at the 10th International Paralympic Meeting Kern Pharma in Barcelona, Spain.

The 26-year-old leapt a phenomenal 8.29m on Saturday (16 May) at the IPC Athletics sanctioned event in Spain, adding five centimetres on to his previous world record mark set at the German able-bodied national trials last July.

Italy’s world long jump T42 champion Martina Caironi meanwhile set a new personal best as she leapt an impressive 4.60m at the same meeting, equalling the world record set by Germany’s Vanessa Low at the IPC Athletics Grand Prix Final in Birmingham, Great Britain last August.

Dutch track star Marlou van Rhijn also rewrote the record books as she smashed her second world record of the year, this time competing on home soil in Hoorn, the Netherlands.

The Paralympic, world and European sprint champion (T43) clocked 25.99 in the 200m, knocking an amazing 0.19 seconds off the record she set at the Paralympic Games in London nearly three years ago.

Van Rhijn opened her 2015 campaign in terrific style back in February at the IPC Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai, UAE, where she broke her own 100m T43 world record with a time of 12.85.

A strong tailwind in Hoorn prevented the 23-year-old from lowering that mark further on Saturday (16 May) when she clocked 12.69 in the 100m, but if these performances are anything to go by, there is surely plenty more to come.

Van Rhijn and Caironi are both set to line up at the next IPC Athletics Grand Prix in the 2015 series, which takes place in Nottwil, Switzerland on 29-31 May.

All world records will be officially ratified by IPC Athletics on receipt of appropriate paperwork.