Jim Fuqua faced more adversity than he has experienced during a track and field meet at the Huntsman Senior Games in St. George, Utah.

The meet was held at an altitude of 2,800 feet. The javelin throwers had to deal with bad footing on a gravel runway, making it impossible to have a firm plant on the release.

On top of that, it was a cold and windy day for Fuqua, who was also battling a ruptured disc and an Achilles injury.

Through all of that, Fuqua was able to battle through it, win a world championship in the 60-64 division of the javelin and set a new record.

“This was probably most difficult meet that I’ve ever competed in,” Fuqua said. “Everything was going against me out there. The conditions for throwing were terrible, but instead of complaining about it, I sucked it up and decided that I was going to do the best that I could do.

The only thing that was able to get him through the event was his faith in God.

“I really had to depend on Christ,” Fuqua said. “My faith in God was what helped me get through this test. He did the rest.”

Fuqua came through with a throw of 47.87 meters, which is about 157 feet. It was just enough to beat a Russian athlete who finished second.

“The Russian athlete had already broken the record,” Fuqua said. “So I had to break his record to win the gold. He’s a great competitor and there was a lot of great competition out here.”

About 10,500 athletes representing 244 countries participated in the event.

In addition to his personal success, Fuqua also helps coach the javelin throwers on the Hartselle High School track and field team.