German long jumper Rehm leaps into record books

German long jumper Markus Rehm, who wants to compete against able-bodied athletes, took gold at the World Paralympics Championships on Friday, leaping 8.40 metres to obliterate his previous world record.

The distance was just one centimetre behind that jumped by Britain's Greg Rutherford to win the World Championships in August.

It smashed his previous record by 11cm and the eye-catching performance is likely to lead to further calls for Rehm to compete outside the Paralympics, and even at the Olympics in Rio next year.

Rehm jumps with a prosthetic right leg after losing his limb in a boating accident aged just 14, but denies this gives him an advantage.

His winning leap came in the third round of the T44 final and was more than a metre ahead of his nearest competitor, Ronald Hertog of the Netherlands, who jumped 7.26m.

"When I had the world record at 8.29m, I thought that it might be difficult to beat it, but then to go on and get 8.40m was really special," said Rehm after his gold medal-winning performance.

"I woke up feeling that it was going to be my day. Thankfully it all worked out for me."

Earlier this week, Rehm told AFP that he wanted to get close to Rutherford's winning distance in China two months ago.

"Of course I am looking to the world championships. Of course it's different conditions and everything is different, but, yeah, I compare myself to other athletes," he said.

"I look at the world rankings, at how far they can go and how far I go, and that is definitely what I am looking for."

The International Association of Athletics Federations is expected to rule soon on whether Rehm could compete at the Rio Olympics next year.

If he is allowed to compete against able-bodied athletes in Rio, Rehm could be a genuine medal contender.

In 2014 he beat able-bodied German athletes, recording the best jump of 8.24m at trials for the European championships.

His leap on Friday was the sixth best long jump recorded this year, including those set by able-bodied athletes.

His jump would also have been long enough to have secured gold at the last Olympics, in London 2012.

There, Rutherford won with a distance of 8.31m.

Rehm, 27, has said that he wants to "show the world" what para-athletes can do.

Russia's Vadim Aleshkin took bronze on Friday with a personal best of 6.91m.

Source: AFP