DISCUS star Holly Neill made her first appearance at the Paralympic Games in Rio.

Neill, who missed out on London 2012, described her selection for the showcase in Brazil as the “ultimate goal” in an interview with Echosport earlier this summer.

The F41 athlete, from Chantmarle, opened up on the grand stage with a throw of 22.62 metres.

Dorset Echo:

She then went further with an effort of 23.13m in round three, which was to be her best attempt to land eighth spot overall.

But the entire field was blown away in Rio by Tunisia’s Raoua Tlili, who stamped her authority on the event from the outset to claim gold.

After breaking the 30m mark with her first throw, she then followed it up with a whopping 33.38m in the second round, beating her personal best from round one and shattering the world record in the process.

Silver went to Niamh McCarthy of Ireland with a throw of 26.67m, Tunisia’s Fathia Amaimia took third (26.16m).

Neill’s inclusion in the Games comes as part of a stellar year for the Dorset athlete.

She produced a lifetime best throw in an IPC Grand Prix event in Dubai all the way back in March this year and followed that up by claiming a bronze medal at the European Championships in Grosseto, Italy, in June.

Dorset Echo:

That added to her major medal collection, having also claimed bronze at the World Championships in 2013.