By Duncan Mackay

Aled Davies BUCS Championships May 4 2013May 4 - Britain's Aled Davies today set a Paralympic world record when he threw 14.68 metres in the F42 shot put at the British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) Championships in Bedford.


The 21-year-old from Bridgend, winner of the discus at London 2012, broke his own record set last year by 12 centimetres in the Ambulant event.

Davies, born with hemimelia of the right leg, is a BSc Sports Management at Cardiff Metropolitan University and had only decided to compete in the event at the last moment.

"I wasn't 100 per cent sure if I was going to attend today as officially my season starts next week, but the BUCS events always have great atmosphere so decided to come," said Davies, a bronze medallist in the shot put at London 2012.

"I felt good and the team morale was great and surprisingly I've pulled this distance out at the start of season, I am over the moon and I am excited to see how much further I can go as the season kicks on.

"The atmosphere in the team was superb and I am very grateful for the help and assistance that Cardiff Met has shown me throughout my whole time at university."

Disability categories have only recently been added to the BUCS programme.

"BUCS events and University sport in general are great, the crowd and other competitors are so friendly and I love coming to these events," said Davies, who also won the discus in the F42 category. 

"It is great that BUCS is now including disability categories into events such as these, and it is a massive step forward for disability sport on a whole."

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