By David Gold

Dan_Greaves_08-08-11August 4 - Discus thrower Dan Greaves is aiming to break the 60 metre mark at the Aviva London Grand Prix on Saturday (August 6) as he gears up for the London 2012 Paalympics.


Greaves is a Paralympic gold medallist from Athens 2004, but had to settle for bronze in Beijing 2008, and will be facing Hungarian world number one Zoltan Kovago, Lithuania's Vigilijus Alekna and Britain's Lawrence Okoya this weekend.

The 28-year-old Greaves was born with club foot and has an F44 best of 59.85 metres, which he set at the US Paralympic Championships in Florida in June.

It was the third time this year that he had broken the world record, and he is looking forward to competing at Crystal Palace.

Greaves, speaking to Press Association Sport, said: "I've had such a great year, and to be in the mix with the able-bodied guys is an honour really.

"We have taken the five weeks since (the US Championships) as preparation for this event and are going to try and break the world record again and go over the magical 60m.

"Competing in front of a home crowd is going to be amazing.

"The atmosphere will probably be just like our Olympic atmosphere.

"If I can put myself in the mix with the best guys in the world, when I come to compete in disability events I should comfortably do what I've been doing in training and hopefully win.

"When you put yourself at world number one, four or five metres above the rest of the world's best, then you're given the role of succeeding."

Greaves took gold at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Championships in New Zealand in January, but has his sights firmly set on the Paralympic Games next year as he hopes to make up for the bronze medal won in 2008 by regaining gold.

"At the time I thought it [third place in Beijing] was the worst thing that's ever happened to me.

"The realisation was that it's the best thing ever because the feeling of losing is horrible and I never want that to happen again.

"That's probably always in the back of my mind, I'm glad it happened in Beijing instead of London."

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