Paralympics 2012: Jonnie Peacock wins gold in T44 100m
- Published
Jonnie Peacock
Britain's Jonnie Peacock produced a dynamic display of sprinting to take the Paralympics T44 100m crown.
The world record holder, 19, powered away in the last 30 metres to finish in a Paralympic record of 10.90 seconds.
American Richard Browne finished second, with South Africa's Arnu Fourie third and Oscar Pistorius fourth.
Pistorius, gold medal winner in 2008, paid tribute to Peacock's performance and said: "As I pass the baton over to Jonnie, I wish him all the best."
"This is absolutely amazing," Peacock, from Cambridge, told 大象传媒 Radio 5 live. "I'd like to have run a little bit quicker, but I did enough to hold on.
Peacock, who lost his right leg below the knee after contracting meningococcal septicaemia at the age of five, said his victory in front of a packed crowd at the Olympic Stadium would live with him forever.
"To go in front of 80,000, it was crazy," the Lee Valley-based athlete said. "This is the first event I've come to where I've not been nervous.
"To hear the crowd chant my name was amazing. That's going to live with me forever. I could not have wished for better.
"I crossed the line thinking 'have I won?' I waited for the results to come on the board. It was such a relief. There has been such a big build-up over the past year. This is immense."
Pistorius, who won silver in the 200m and gold in the 4x100m, described Peacock's victory as "one of the great Paralympic performances".
"We just witnessed one of the great performances from Jonnie," said the 25-year-old South African. "I think he is going to inspire a lot of people in the coming years.
"It was an unbelievable race. I was hoping to make the top three, but the 100m has always been tough for me. I've always been better at the longer distances.
"But to be part of a race like that with performances like that just means the sport has grown to another level.
"The Paralympians are household names now and it makes me proud."
Pistorius competes in the heats of the 400m on Friday and is favourite to win the final on Saturday, the penultimate day of action.