Veteran athlete Pat Higgins, dubbed the “throwing granny”, is on top of the world after hurling her way into the record books.
The 51-year-old from Montford Bridge, near Shrewsbury, was stunned to learn she had set a new world best after winning the Midland Masters Throw Group hammer pentathlon in Stoke. Pat, who already holds five British records for throwing events, was notified after the W50 event that she had registered the longest throw ever recorded.
The sports teaching assistant at Minsterley Primary School admitted the notification was a surprise despite having ambitions of setting a world record one day.
“It was a bit of a shock as I did not expect this would happen so soon and knew nothing about it until I received a letter a few weeks later,” she said.
“I knew that if I got all the throws in I would be the British record holder, but to be the best in the world is something else as there are a lot of countries, particularly in Europe, throwing now.”
The event comprises throwing five different weights of hammer – 2kg, 2.5kg, 3kg, 3.5kg and 4kg – with the best of three throws from each taken into account.
Veteran Pat, who coaches and competes with Shrewsbury AC, totalled 127.82 metres to stand proudly on top of the world in senior competition.
Always a keen athlete, the mother of two daughters has no plans to retire after a successful knee operation last year – while her growing army of supporters has increased with the arrival of her first grandchild Andrew, now 18 months old.