A teenage para-athlete from Pembrokeshire has smashed his own world record.

Michael Jenkins, 17, from Llandissilio was competing at the School Games National Finals on Friday when he threw a staggering 61.19m in the F38 discus.

And he declared he is ready to compete with able-bodied and paralympic athletes at a world stage.

The distance thrown by the Pembrokeshire Harriers member would have given him an eighth place in the men’s discus at the Commowealth Games and a gold in the para-discus, winning by 10 metres.

Former Ysgol y Preseli pupil Michael, who has cerebral palsy, has also faced anxiety and depression. He hopes to be a role model for others and that his journey can encourage more to step forward and achieve their potential.

He said: “I always love coming to big competitions, it’s unbelievable to compete for your country and to obliterate your own record. It’s bizarre but brilliant.

“I want to go as far as I can able-bodied, hoping for Europeans next year and I want to be an Olympian and Paralympian. See how far I can go in that.”

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Previously, Michael broke the world record at the Welsh Senior Championships in June - which had stood since the London 2012 Paralympics - ahead of competing in the School Games National Finals, the UK’s biggest multi-sport event for 13-to-18-year-olds.

The event has hosted 1,000 athletes at Loughborough University between Thursday and today, Sunday September 4.

It is renowned as a launching pad for athletes, with former alumni including Commonwealth Games medallists, Adam Peaty, Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Hannah Cockroft.

This year, the event is taking place thanks to National Lottery funding from Sport England as part of the organisation’s Birmingham 2022 legacy investment. It provides the young athletes with first class facilities and the experience of being in a sport competition village akin to the Commonwealth Games.