The 27-year-old long jump world champion, who also has bronze and silver sprinting medals from Beijing 2008 and London 2012, showed his prowess in the high jump competition with a jump of 2.06 metres to beat the previous mark of 2.02m set by Belarusian Ruslan Sivitski at the Sydney 2000 Paralympics.

Meanwhile, there were a number of notable home successes at the II Caixa Loterias Athletics Open Championships, which double as the third IPC Athletics Grand Prix of the season, including impressive wins for youngsters Veronica Hipolito and Raissa Machado.

World record holder Hipolito showed why she is the favourite to take gold in the women's T38 100m at Rio 2016, by taking the win in a time of 13.52sec, just outside her world mark of 13.19 set at last year's World Championships in Lyon.

"I'm happy to be seen as one of the favourites," said 18-year-old Hipolito.

"I'm always trying to improve my times, and in 2016 at the Rio Games, I want to break the 100m world record again."

Veronica Hipolito reinforced her position as one of the medal favourites for Rio 2016 with an impressive showing today ©AFP/Getty Images



Seventeen-year-old Machado followed up her win at last year's Parapan Youth American Games in Buenos Aires by demonstrating her medal potential for Rio with a winning throw and national record of 14.67m in the F56/57 javelin.

There was further Brazilian success in the sprint races as Lucas Prado won the men's T11 100m ahead of team-mate Felipe de Souza Gomes, while in the women's race Terezhina Guilhermina led a Brazilian clean sweep.

Edson Cavalcante Pinheiro had to make do with a second place finish behind South Africa's Dyan Buis in the men's T38 100m, while other international winners included American Richard Browne in the T44 100m and Australia's Scott Reardon in the T42 class.

The II Caixa Loterias Athletics Open Championships at Icarus Mello de Castro Stadium run through to Friday (April 25).

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