Jonnie Peacock winning the 100m T44 at the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships (© IPC Athletics World Championships Lyon 2013)
Great Britain’s London 2012 Paralympic Games gold medallist Jonnie Peacock raced to victory in the much-anticipated 100m T44 sprint showdown on day four of the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships in Lyon, France, on Wednesday (23).
Despite a poor start, the 20-year-old managed to stay just ahead of the US sprinter Richard Browne, who had set a new world record of 10.83 in qualifying the day before, in a thrilling race.
Peacock crossed the line in 10.99, a championship record, while Browne was just 0.02 behind and took the silver medal.
“I’m very lucky. I shouldn’t have got away with that, but at the end of the day it’s about talent,” said Peacock. “To be honest with you, my 10.87 yesterday wasn’t me trying. I didn’t have a great start again today, I ran upright from about 50m onwards and still managed to run that time.
“I thought my time was going to be quicker, I shouldn’t have got away with that stumble,” he added.
Alan Fonteles Oliveira raced to victory in the men’s 100m T43, showing just why he is the poster boy of Rio 2016 as he added the shorter sprint title to the 200m gold he won on Sunday. The Brazilian clocked a championships record of 10.80 and just 0.03 off theWworld record he set in Berlin last month.
There were no surprises as Brazil grabbed all three medals in the women’s 100m T11. Angola’s Esperanca Gicaso was clearly feeling the pressure as she jumped the gun, becoming the first athlete to receive the red card so far at these World Championships.
With three left in the field it was simply a matter of who took which colour of medal – although it would always have been hard to bet against defending champion Terezhina Guilhermina.
The charismatic 34-year-old, who was one of the crowd favourites in London last summer, duly lived up to expectations and took the title with relative ease in a time of 12.16. Jerusa Santos won silver and Jhulia Santos the bronze.
Russia’s Dmitrii Safronov powered to the line over the final 50m of the men’s 100m T35 to take gold in a championship record time of 12.49, coming home ahead of Ukraine’s Iurii Tsaruk.
USA’s Raymond Martin, still just 19, kept his cool to catch the fast-starting Salvador Hernandez in the closing stages of the 100m T52 after the Mexican sped out the blocks first. The win, in 17.46, keeps Martin’s hopes of five World titles alive; with three in the bag and just the 200m and 400m to go.
Great Britain’s Paralympic Games hero Richard Whitehead had to fight hard to retain his 200m T42 title after a poor start, but his determination paid off as he battled his way through the field, passing Australia’s eventual silver medallist Scott Reardon in the final 20 metres and crossing the line in 24.95.
“It was tough today,” said Whitehead. “I had a bit of bad situation last week. I broke one of my feet whilst out training then had a quad injury. It was all about crossing the line first, I really dug deep in that last 20 metres, it was so tight. That was probably the hardest last 50 metres in a 200m I’ve ever had to do.”
Korea’s Min Jae Jeon held on for gold in the women’s 200m T36 in 30.96, after running a strong bend, with Germany’s Claudia Nicoleitzik improving on her bronze in 2011 with silver this time.
Tatyana McFadden showed everyone how it’s done in the 800m T54, pushing off strongly to take an early lead before leaving the rest of the field trailing in her wake as she took her third title of Lyon 2013 in world record time of 1:44.44 to continue her clean sweep of medals, with the 100m, 400m and 1,500m still to come.
“It’s unbelievable – it was really tough but I was confident in my training and I trusted myself. The support from fans has been helpful as well. I am quite positive for the 100m even though it’s going to be such a competitive race once again.
China’s Hongzhuan Zhou had set a championship record qualifying for the final of the women’s 800m T53 yesterday, and she was on top form once more, adding the world title to the Paralympic gold she won last summer.
Pushing for home with 250m to go, Zhou held on valiantly down the home straight, finishing ahead of the Australian duo, Angela Ballard and Madison de Rozario in 1:53.65.
Silver medallist in the javelin F11 two years ago in New Zealand, Anibal Bello got the better of the 2011 World champion Vitalii Telesh this time around as he threw 46.17m to win Venezuela’s first gold medal of the Championships, over six 6 metres clear of the Russian.
Birgit Kober continued Germany’s success in the women’s field events Javelin F33/34, throwing a World record 27.45m with her first attempt to defend the title she won in 2011. Reinhardt Hamman’s second throw of 45.72m was enough to take gold for South Africa in the Javelin F37/38.
Ukraine’s Dmytro Prudnikov set a personal best of 7.15m to win the Long Jump F20. The Netherland’s Iris Pruysen went some way to make amends for her disappointing fourth place in London with victory in the Long Jump T44 with a jump of 5.00m.
Russia won the 4x100m T11-13 once again in 42.90, having taken the title in New Zealand, with the USA clinching silver and France - much to the delight of the crowds – winning bronze.
IPC Athletics for the IAAF