Daniel Pembroke

Started: He took up javelin at age 11 at school in England, and began taking the sport more seriously at age 14. (lanuovasardegna.it, 07 Jul 2015) Reason: He initially competed in non-Para javelin but quit the sport due to an elbow injury and the deterioration of his vision. After spending time travelling the world, he came back to the United Kingdom in 2019 and decided to return to sport in Para athletics. "I tried running but it wasn't for me and I started throwing the javelin again and was put in contact with the then GB Paralympic head coach Paula Dunn. She wanted to see what I could do, so I took part in a competition, threw once and that was enough for her to get me on board. Coming back to javelin, I had a lot of muscle memory and I knew about technique but things had changed because my eyesight had deteriorated since 2011." (bbc.com, 14 Jul 2023) Ambition: To retain his Paralympic gold medal at the 2024 Games in Paris. (Instagram profile, 02 Sep 2023) Awards: He was appointed Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire [MBE] in the 2022 New Year Honours list. (herefordtimes.com, 04 Jan 2022) Additional Info: RETURN TO SPORT He had hoped to compete in non-Para javelin at the 2012 Olympic Games in London until an elbow injury ruled him out of contention. He then quit athletics and spent time overseas, including in Italy, New Zealand, Australia, and Thailand. He took up Para athletics after he returned to the United Kingdom in 2019. "As soon as I got out of the hospital [after his elbow injury] I went to the airport and asked which was the cheapest flight. I did it without worrying about the destination, as long as it was far from England. I got on a plane that took me to Sardinia, I didn't even know where it was, but inside I felt I was headed for the right destination. I hired a kayak to explore the coast south of Cala Gonone. For eight days, I got my food from underwater fishing and slept on the beach. It was in that week that I was able to clear my mind and decide this would become my new home. Returning to the sport in Para athletics has made me feel more positive about my eyesight and made me think differently about my disability. I have lived another life away from sport so coming back into the competition arena has been quite a strange experience for me." (bbc.com, 14 Jul 2023; herefordtimes.com, 04 Jan 2022; Channel 4 Sport YouTube channel, 02 Sep 2021; britishathletics.org.uk, 11 May 2021; lanuovasardegna.it, 07 Jul 2015; Facebook profile, 04 May 2017, 15 Jan 2017, 14 Jun 2015) OCCUPATION He has worked as a massage therapist, specialising in sports massage, at the Hereford Centre for Natural Health in England. "Being visually impaired I work intuitively and use the sense of touch to find and work out muscular tensions and dysfunctions caused from mental and physical stresses." (Instagram profile, 02 Sep 2023; Dan Pembroke Massage Therapy Facebook page, 01 Mar 2022; herefordcentrefornaturalhealth.com, 01 Apr 2020)