Browsing: Dan

Plenty of Philadelphia Eagles opponents surely would like to see the tush-push play eliminated.

“I’m a purist,” the Detroit Lions head coach told reporters Wednesday. “You take something else out of the game, then we’re taking the next thing out of the game. Then you’re taking another thing out of the game, and pretty soon we don’t have pads anymore. And then pretty soon you’re only playing 30 minutes.Â

” … They found something, they’re good at it, and it’s for everybody else to stop.”

His comments come before the two teams face each other Sunday in a potential playoff preview.

The tush push was back in the headlines Monday because the Eagles were facing the Green Bay Packers. After all, it was Green Bay that sponsored the proposal during the offseason that tried to ban the Eagles’ famous play.

After the proposal was initially tabled, it received 22 votes in favor of banning the play. Since it needed 24, the tush push remains legal and part of the weekly discourse in the NFL this season.

Fittingly, the Eagles ran it against the Packers:

While Philadelphia continues to find success running it, the tush push has faced renewed criticism this season because of inconsistent officiating and frustrated opposing fans and teams.

But it seems like that criticism won’t be coming from Campbell this week.

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SEATTLE — Mariners manager Dan Wilson saw the same movie unfolding in front of him for the second straight night, but on Thursday, he couldnâ€t change the ending in Seattleâ€s 8-2 loss to the Blue Jays.

The third inning of Game 4 of the American League Championship Series began nearly exactly as the third frame of Game 3 had: Leadoff double, Andrés Giménez home run, George Springer out, Nathan Lukes hit, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit, Alejandro Kirk walk.

At that point Wednesday night, Wilson stuck with George Kirby, who allowed three more runs to score in the frame, then surrendered two more home runs before his rough outing finally ended. Thursday, Wilson went with the short leash, pulling Luis Castillo after just 2 1/3 innings following the Kirk walk, giving the ball to Gabe Speier with the bases loaded and one out.

Wilsonâ€s mound visit with Castillo was an extended one, before the right-hander patted his skipper on the chest and gave him the ball. Castillo, who took the loss with three runs, five hits and a walk on his final line, did not speak to the media after the game.

“Just [told him] that we were going to go to Gabe in that situation,†Wilson said. “It was tough. Again, it’s a tough decision and it was not an easy one and not an easy one to tell him. But that’s what we went with … just an opportunity to let him know.â€

The opposite move ended up having largely the same result, though. Speier walked Daulton Varsho to bring in a run before he could get out of the inning. Toronto tacked on two runs in the fourth inning, with Guerrero adding a solo home run in the seventh.

Seattleâ€s bats quieted after Josh Naylor’s solo home run in the second off Max Scherzer, who then locked in for yet another signature outing in what almost certainly will be a career that ends in Cooperstown.

Sometimes, a different route leads you to the same place.

“We know about this offense,†Wilson said. “They struck quickly and, again, it just felt like it was a situation where we knew we could be aggressive, and tonight was an opportunity to do that with Gabe there and we went with it.â€

It was a setup reminiscent of what Wilson and the Mariners faced in Games 1 and 2 of the ALDS with their approach to Detroitâ€s Kerry Carpenter. In the first game of the series, Kirby looked solid through four innings, before Carpenter tagged him for a go-ahead two-run home run — with Speier ready and waiting in the bullpen — in what ended up being a Seattle loss.

The next night, Castillo faced nearly the exact same situation: Four good innings, followed by traffic in the fifth that brought Carpenter to the plate with two outs. This time, Wilson went to Speier; the left-hander struck Carpenter out and the Mariners went on to win and even the series.

Wednesday, Speier got up in the bullpen when Kirby ran into trouble, but never entered the game, Wilson opting instead for Carlos Vargas in relief of Kirby. When the game got out of hand, he moved on from Vargas to give the ball to Caleb Ferguson and Luke Jackson, so all four of his high-leverage arms came into Thursday on at least three days†rest.

“We were told to be ready early,†Speier said. “Itâ€s postseason baseball, youâ€ve got to be ready at all times. Obviously it was early, but I wouldnâ€t say I was caught off-guard by any means.â€

Wilson, who in his first full season at the helm became just the third Mariners manager to lead the club to the postseason, is getting his first dose of playoff baseball as a skipper. One of the defining themes of his 2025 season has been patience — and since Seattle revamped its lineup after the Trade Deadline, Wilson has more or less stuck with the same order, letting just about every hitter work his way out of individual slumps in the past 10 weeks.

Heâ€s used the same five starters in 48 of the past 49 games. Heâ€s stuck with his relievers in roughly the same roles all year.

The margins are thinner in the postseason, though, and Wilson has managed as such. Thursday, for the first time in the playoffs, he changed his lineup for a reason other than the opposing starterâ€s handedness, bringing in Leo Rivas, moving Jorge Polanco to designated hitter and sitting Victor Robles. Rivas ended up going 0-for-2, but his out on the bases — getting picked off after a leadoff walk in the bottom of the third — was one of the miscues that kept the Mariners from regaining any semblance of momentum.

The pitching decisions follow the same storyline: In a second straight flat showing, there were no obvious switches to Wilson to flip. All five of the hits Castillo allowed were on strikes, four were on pitches over the heart of the plate and he only generated five whiffs, tied for his fewest in a start since May 3. The bullpen, which allowed one earned run in 19 innings from Game 5 of the ALDS through the first two games of the ALCS, has given up 10 in the past two nights.

“Iâ€d say it comes down to that we need to pitch a little bit better,†Speier said. “Continue to attack, but maybe a little bit more intent with what weâ€re doing. Nothing really changes. This is who we are, and weâ€re going to continue to play this way.â€

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Detroit Tigers radio play-by-play announcer Dan Dickerson apologized Saturday for cursing while still on the air following the Tigers’ season-ending loss to the Seattle Mariners in Game 5 of the American League Division Series on Friday.

According to Devon Henderson of The Athletic, a hot mic picked up Dickerson saying, “F–k this game recap,” on the heels of Detroit losing 3-2 in a 15-inning thriller.

In a statement provided to Christian Romo of the Detroit Free Press, Dickerson noted that while it was accidental and he did not realize that he was still on the air, he was still apologetic for the incident:

“I want to sincerely apologize for swearing during a break in the post-game last night. Our mics were inadvertently left open—but I know better than to swear into an open mic.

“It was said in a moment of frustration, and not a reflection about how I feel about doing the game recap—just how I felt about doing it in that moment after a five-hour, 15-inning, season-ending loss. I’m very sorry any fans had to hear it—my apologies again.”

Despite stumbling over the final month of the regular season and losing out on the AL Central crown, the Tigers beat the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Wild Card Series and forced Game 5 in the ALDS thanks to a 9-3 win in Game 4.

Detroit took a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning of Game 5 on a two-run home run by Kerry Carpenter, but Seattle tied it up in the seventh, and the game ended up going to extras.

Both teams had numerous scoring opportunities with men on base, but it wasn’t until the bottom of the 15th that a run was finally pushed across.

Tigers reliever Tommy Kahnle allowed a single to J.P. Crawford, hit Randy Arozarena with a pitch and intentionally walked Julio Rodríguez, bringing up Jorge Polanco with the bases loaded and one out.

Polanco delivered with a walk-off RBI single to send the Mariners to the American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, and send the Tigers into the offseason.

It was a pressure-packed and exhausting game for players, coaches, fans and announcers alike, and Dickerson was not immune to it.

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Fantasy basketball analyst Dan Titus reveals all the players he hopes will be on his rosters after Draft Day. For more fantasy basketball draft tips,check out his Blueprint.

[High Score is a new way to play Fantasy Basketball on Yahoo with simple rosters and scoring. Create or join a league]

Guards

Amen Thompson – G/F, Houston Rockets:Amen flashed elite rebounding and defensive instincts last season, averaging roughly 1.15 fantasy points per minute. Playing alongside Kevin Durant should open up lanes for drives and assist opportunities. The lack of 3s and forgettable FT percentage are the only two knocks on an otherwise elite fantasy profile. No Fred VanVleet means Amen and Reed Sheppard will be running the show.

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Tyrese Maxey – G, Philadelphia 76ers:The undisputed No. 1 option in Philadelphia, Maxeyâ€s efficiency and scoring volume make him a safe bet in all formats. His usage spike ensures multiple 40-plus-point fantasy nights, even with the health concerns surrounding the Sixers’ roster.

Jalen Green – G, Phoenix Suns:Greenâ€s move to Phoenix gives him the green light to score at will. With Devin Booker drawing defensive gravity, he’s always available and has a clean slate to fire away — the exact kind of highly explosive player you’ll want for High Score.

Kyshawn George – G/F, Washington Wizards:One of the more intriguing deep sleepers, Georgeâ€s size and floor spacing give him multi-position upside. If he cracks the starting lineup, his length and shooting could push him into must-roster territory.

Shaedon Sharpe – G, Portland Trail Blazers:With Anfernee Simons gone, Sharpe steps into a larger offensive role after averaging 27.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 10 games without him last year. Although he averaged under 1.0 FPPM in 2024-25 (0.93), he looks primed to anchor Portland’s scoring alongside Deni Avdija. With high usage and expanding playmaking, Sharpe’s a breakout bet who will eclipse the 30+ fantasy-point mark per game in High Score and points leagues.

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Isaiah Collier – G, Utah Jazz:Now Utah’s starting point guard, Collier has averaged 6.3 assists and 0.9 steals per game through his first 71 games, solidifying his role as the team’s primary facilitator. He’s my prime late-round selection for High Score and he could finish top-10 in assists this season.

Jaden Ivey – G, Detroit Pistons:Ivey’s return from injury has reignited his breakout path. He averaged 17/4/4 last year and he’ll be the secondary scoring and facilitating option alongside Cade Cunningham. His blend of pace, scoring and playmaking makes him a High Score steal outside the top 100. With increased usage and a 30-point floor when hot, Ivey’s poised to deliver the breakout season Detroit’s been waiting for.

Forwards

Paolo Banchero – F, Orlando Magic:The Magic finally have spacing, and that means more playmaking for Banchero. I’m in the minority, but I think we’ll see the best version of Paolo yet. With Desmond Bane in town, expect upticks in assists and field-goal efficiency with fewer turnovers. I still prefer him in points over 9-cat leagues, but I’d still get him in 9-cat.

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Trey Murphy III, F, New Orleans Pelicans:Murphy is one of the leagueâ€s best breakout bets for 2025–26. When healthy last season, he averaged 0.98 fantasy points per minute. His combination of athleticism, 3-point volume, and efficiency gives him a real shot at making an All-Star-like leap — both in real life and fantasy.

Deni Avdija – F, Portland Trail Blazers:Avdijaâ€s game has always hinted at versatility, and in Portland, heâ€ll finally be unleashed. After the All-Star break last year, Avdija averaged 23-10-5. Handling the ball more and attacking mismatches, heâ€s a glue guy with the stat diversity to post strong all-around lines.

[Draft smarter with the Yahoo Fantasy Plus Draft Kit for personalized player rankings and tap into more premium tools to give you an edge]

Bennedict Mathurin – G/F, Indiana Pacers:Mathurinâ€s aggressiveness is finally being matched with opportunity. He can get hot quickly, and as long as he locks in on defense, he’ll be one of those boom players who’s ideal for High Score. He’ll also be solid for 9-cat leagues.

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Zion Williamson – F, New Orleans Pelicans:Zion enters 2025-26 in the best shape of his career, motivated by a contract fitness clause and New Orleans’ push to compete before their 2026 pick goes to Atlanta. He averaged 1.56 FPPM in 30 games last year and remains one of the league’s most efficient interior scorers, producing elite per-minute output. Since turnovers don’t count and ceiling games are the north star in High Score, Zion’s a top-15 lock whenever he’s active.

Brandon Miller – F, Charlotte Hornets:Before his wrist injury, Miller averaged 21.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists while commanding a larger offensive load. His 1.01 FPPM pace shows growth as a shot-creator and secondary playmaker next to LaMelo Ball. He profiles as a multi-category wing with top-60 upside across all formats, especially High Score.

Tari Eason – F, Houston Rockets:Eason ranked in the 91st percentile in fantasy points per minute among frontcourt players. His energy translates directly into rebounds, steals and buckets. If his minutes climb, heâ€s one of the most efficient stat-stuffers available after Round 10.

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Centers

Jalen Duren – C, Detroit Pistons:Durenâ€s double-double consistency anchors Detroitâ€s frontcourt. He’s in a contract year and has shown growth as a short-roll playmaker. He averaged an impressive 1.23 fantasy points per minute last season, and as his rim protection improves, that number should only climb in his fourth season.

Santi Aldama – C, Memphis Grizzlies:Aldama remains under the radar but continues to produce whenever given minutes. His shooting and rebounding profile make him a sneaky floor-spacer who can hit double-digit points and boards in under 25 minutes. Aldama will play heavy minutes to start the year and is still being picked outside of the top 100 on Yahoo.

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Isaiah Hartenstein – C, Oklahoma City Thunder:Always a per-minute beast (~1.10 fantasy points per minute), Hartenstein is being undervalued in the market across formats. He does everything but shoot 3s and make free throws at a high clip. However, I love him as a sixth- or seventh-round pick if I don’t nab bigs earlier in the draft.

Kelâ€el Ware – C, Miami Heat:Nikola Jović’s hype is building, but I’m still targeting more shares of Ware. He averaged over 1.0 fantasy points per minute last season and has so much potential as a rim runner. His ADP is falling because he came off the bench in the Heat’s past two preseason games; I would buy the dip.

Dereck Lively II – C, Dallas Mavericks:Daniel Gafford is already hurt and Lively’s ADP is at a very affordable price at 116th overall. With 30 minutes a night potentially on the horizon, Dallas’ primary defensive anchor is trending up after a season where he posted 1.19 FPPM. Although his usage is low, he’s a cheap double-double big man with boom potential on the defensive end.

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NEW YORK — Justin Brazeau scored twice, Arturs Silovs stopped all 25 shots he faced for his first regular-season NHL shutout, and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New York Rangers 3-0 on Tuesday night in each team’s opener.

Dan Muse won his debut as Penguins coach with his predecessor, Mike Sullivan, on the other bench running his first game with the Rangers. Sullivan guided Pittsburgh to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2016 and ’17 as part of a nearly decade-long run there before parting ways in April.

Brazeau and Silovs were also playing for the Penguins for the first time. Brazeau signed as a free agent, while Silovs joined in a trade from Vancouver.

Evgeni Malkin led off his 20th season in the league by setting up Brazeau’s goal. Malkin beat Vincent Trocheck on an offensive zone faceoff to get the puck to Brazeau, who was alone in front and roofed a backhander past Igor Shesterkin.

Brazeau’s first goal with 32 seconds remaining in the first came near the end of a period that Pittsburgh controlled the play for much of the time. Silovs blockered away a shot from Alexis Lafrenière in the final seconds of an early Rangers power play but did not have to make too many other spectacular saves to get the win.

With Shesterkin pulled for an extra attacker, Brazeau had an empty-netter with 2:12 left, and Blake Lizotte sealed it with another 20 seconds later.

Mika Zibanejad, who Sullivan put on new captain J.T. Miller’s right wing to start the season, was one of the most noticeable players for New York. Zibanejad missed the net on a couple of scoring chances but also had a game-high seven shots on goal.

Defeating the Rangers gave the Penguins something to celebrate on opening night as Malkin, Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang made some history. They became the first trio in the four major North American men’s professional sports leagues to play 20 seasons together with the same team.

Penguins: Host the New York Islanders on Thursday night.

Rangers: Visit Buffalo on Thursday night.

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The regular season is finally here! The Pittsburgh Penguins will open the 2025-26 season inside Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers on Tuesday night.

Penguins head coach Dan Muse is looking to win his first game as an NHL head coach against the team he coached the previous two years. He was an assistant coach under Peter Laviolette for the last two seasons before the Penguins hired him as their new head coach during the offseason.

On the other side, Mike Sullivan is trying to get his first win as the head coach of the Rangers after they hired him during the offseason. He was with the Penguins for 10 seasons before he and the team agreed to part ways after the 2024-25 season.

The Penguins lost the season series against the Rangers last year (1-3) and are hoping to change that this year. Here’s a look at the expected Penguins’ lines for tonight’s game.

Forwards

Koivunen-Crosby-Rakell

Mantha-Malkin-Brazeau

Novak-Kindel-Tomasino

Dewar-Lizotte-Acciari

Defensemen

Wotherspoon-Karlsson

Shea-Letang

Jones-Brunicke

Goaltenders

Silovs

Jarry

Top prospects Ben Kindel and Harrison Brunicke will make their NHL debuts on Tuesday night after having great training camps. Brunicke was really close to making the roster last year and did even more this year to make the opening-night roster.

Kindel continued to improve throughout camp and passed each test that came his way during the preseason. He may not stay up past the nine-game trial, but the coaching staff is at least rewarding him for his outstanding camp.

Arturs Silovs will get the start in goal over Tristan Jarry after Jarry struggled during the Penguins’ last preseason game. He gave up three goals on 19 shots against the Buffalo Sabres last Friday and will start the regular season as the backup goaltender.

Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Bookmark THN – Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab  to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!

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The Pittsburgh Penguins will open their 2025-26 campaign against the New York Rangers on Tuesday night, and the game will hold extra significance for the head coaches on both sides.

Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan will try to get a win against his former team after coaching the Penguins for the previous ten seasons. It appeared he would coach the Penguins for an 11th season once the 2024-25 season ended, until he and the team decided it was best to part ways.

Penguins general manager and president Kyle Dubas explained during an April presser that there were times during last season when he felt that it may be time for a change.

“I talked to him every day throughout the year, worked with him every day throughout the year,†Dubas explained. “And there were times throughout the year where I started to think that it may just be time for a number of reasons. It’s a lot to ask of somebody when they’ve done such a long and successful job here to be managing that and continue to transition the team through.”

Once Sullivan was fired, the Rangers made him their top priority, as they had fired Peter Laviolette at the end of the season. They didn’t live up to expectations and missed the playoffs a year after winning the Presidents’ Trophy. Sullivan was hired less than a week after he and the Penguins parted ways and will try to return the Rangers to the playoffs this year.

Sullivan missed the playoffs in his previous three seasons as Penguins head coach but helped them win two Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. He’s the winningest head coach in the franchise’s history.

Dan Muse was an assistant coach with the Rangers for the previous two seasons under Laviolette before the Penguins hired him to replace Sullivan. He just finished up a grueling and competitive training camp and is ready for his first game as an NHL head coach. However, he’s being a little bit coy about how much it means to go against his former team.

“I’ll see how it feels tomorrow. Honestly, I can’t tell you. I don’t know exactly how to feel until I’m there,” Muse told reporters after Monday’s practice. “You got some strong relationships there with the guys that I coached, and that will always be there. I think you always want to have those things in any stop that you have.”

“I think the focus has obviously been for the last 4 months, this group and this team, so we’ll see. I’m sure there will be some emotions that you have about being back at MSG, that first game as a head coach, but this is about the team. It’s not about me, and it’s like, the focus has been getting this group ready. The focus will continue to be on that. I think there’s a lot of excitement there, just with the work that has been put in throughout training camp. I think that’s going to be by far the number one thing on my mind all day tomorrow.”

Penguins Announce Final 23-Man Roster
After a grueling few weeks of training camp, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ roster has finally been solidified for the start of the 2025-26 season.

In addition to coaching some veterans, Muse will get to see some young players get their first taste of the NHL on Tuesday. Forward Benjamin Kindel and defenseman Harrison Brunicke both made the team out of training camp and will make their NHL debuts against the Rangers.

Kindel got better as the preseason went on, and the Penguins are rewarding him after he earned a spot. Brunicke got close to making the team out of camp last year, but was able to do a little bit more to make it this year. Based on the lines during Monday’s practice, Brunicke will be paired with Caleb Jones on the third pairing, while Kindel will be centering Tommy Novak and Philip Tomasino on the third line.

Muse has been great at developing young players throughout his coaching career, and the Penguins are hoping that this trend continues during his tenure as head coach in Pittsburgh.

Puck drop for Tuesday’s game inside Madison Square Garden will be at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. It’ll be the second game of the day after the Florida Panthers raise their Stanley Cup banner at home before they play the Chicago Blackhawks at 5 p.m. ET. The Colorado Avalanche and the Los Angeles Kings will finish Tuesday’s triple-header off at 10:30 p.m. ET.

Bookmark THN – Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab  to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!

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Great Britain’s Funmi Oduwaiye won bronze in the F44 shot put and and Dan Greaves did the same in the F44 discus at the World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi.

Oduwaiye, 22, threw a personal best effort of 12.11m with her first throw of the competition.

Oduwaiye’s five remaining efforts were red flagged as she finished behind China’s Yao Juan and the United States’ Arelle Middleton.

“There is definitely more to come,” said Oduwaiye.

“I know I can do a lot more. It’s nice to get that appreciation of a bronze medal for now.

“There was definitely another big one [throw] out there but unfortunately, that’s how the game is.”

Meanwhile, former Paralympic gold medallist Greaves, 42, managed a throw of 52.42m to finish third behind Colombia’s Andres Mosquera Neira and Trinidad and Tobago’s Akeem Stewart in the F44 discus.

The F44 classification is for field athletes with a lower limb deficiency, leg length difference or impaired range of movement in one leg that affects their balance.

Fellow Briton Harrison Walsh was fifth with an effort of 51.49m, while Mel Woods also just missed out on a medal, coming home fourth in the women’s 400m T54 final.

Great Britain have won 15 medals so far in India, including four golds.

It leaves them 13th in the rankings, with Brazil leading the way on 12 golds.

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Sri Lanka seam bowler Asitha Fernando represented Glamorgan this year as an overseas player, and the county will look abroad again next season – as well as scouring the domestic market – as they aim to increase their pace options.

“We’ve been quite active in the market, albeit not with much success when it comes to fast bowlers,” said Cherry.

“But we’ve been talking to a lot of fast bowlers and it’s been really difficult here because not knowing that we’re going to be a Division One county until pretty late on has probably meant that we’ve missed out on a couple of options that we were looking at.

“But there are different ways and means of attracting that talent. Some will have Division One clauses in their contracts that if they’re not playing in Division One, that they may speak to other counties, so that is a route for us.

“Other counties use the loan market pretty effectively. And obviously overseas strategy will be really important to how we look at using overseas players to fill those gaps that we’ve got.

“We need more bowling depth to take us forward and some more pace in our attack would be helpful for us when we move up to Division One.”

With premium fast bowlers in demand, Glamorgan hope their newfound top-tier status will make them a more attractive proposition.

“It’s going to give us a huge opportunity to be more attractive to players from a recruitment perspective and also from a retention perspective,” Cherry added.

“So the best young talent that we’ve got coming through, Ben Kellaway, Asa Tribe and others, we want them to know that they can achieve all of the ambitions they want out of the game by staying at Glamorgan.

“Part of that is establishing ourselves in Division One and doing well in the future up there.”

On the subject of player retention, Cherry confirmed that Glamorgan are in talks over a new contract for batter Billy Root, whose current deal expires this year.

Kellaway and Tribe are among the players who have already committed their futures to the Welsh county.

“It’s fantastic. We’ve received some criticism, fair at times, that potentially we haven’t developed Welsh players over the last 10, 15, 20 years, but we are working really hard to do so,” said Cherry.

“Since taking over the pathway from Cricket Wales, you’re now starting to see the benefits of that.

“Ben would be a particular case in point of a young lad who’s come through the pathway, developed by Chepstow Cricket Club, Cricket Wales, Glamorgan, Cardiff UCCE and he’s now putting in fantastic performances for Glamorgan and Welsh Fire and we’re really proud of that.

“Hopefully there’s the ability now with the next batch of players we’ve got coming through – and some really exciting ones to look out for – that we can turn more of those players into the next Ben Kellaway, and we can create a real core identity of Welsh talent, mixed in with players from outside, high-quality overseas players. I think we’ve got an exciting future ahead.”

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Earlier in his athletics career, Pembroke was targeting the London 2012 Olympics before an elbow injury put paid to that dream.

After a seven-year break and with his eyesight deteriorating, he came to Para-sport in 2019. Within two years he was Paralympic champion, throwing a Paralympic record of 69.52m in Tokyo.

In Paris he reached new heights, breaking Uzbekistan’s Aleksandr Svechnikov’s seven-year world record with his third throw, before bettering that mark by more than three metres on his next effort with 74.49m to successfully defend his Paralympic crown.

A year on from that golden achievement, Pembroke’s next task is defending the global title he won in both 2023 and 2024 at the Para-athletics World Championships in New Delhi, which get under way on Saturday.

As part of a 37-strong British contingent, external headed for India, he goes into the championships with “my hunger back”, having struggled with the comedown from his Paralympic high.

“Paris was the pinnacle of my career so far,” he said. “It’s weird to adjust coming back down the other side, because you need to reset your goals and your ambitions of where you want to go in the future.

“Those four months after Paris were very odd and strange for me. I was having ups and downs, but a big roller coaster of emotions, trying to adjust to what I’d done and where I’m going next.

“It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, it was pretty difficult.”

Sunshine is now on the horizon, however – Pembroke and his wife, Martina, will welcome their first baby in November.

The prospect of having his child trackside at the LA Paralympics in three years’ time is providing added motivation for Pembroke to continue his work both in and out of athletics.

“I’m not getting any younger, and I want to make the most of how my body’s feeling at the moment,” he said.

“I think I have the potential to break the [world] record and go more than 75m. Leading up to LA, that’s what I wanted to achieve.

“But when I do finally retire, and I’m not sure when that is yet, I want to have a wholesome feeling that I’ve done something good, not just from throwing javelins far, but I want to try and change the space in society that deals with visual impairment.”

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