RICHARD Whitehead, the British Blade Runner, defied all laws of athletics by making the switch from marathon running to sprinting and yesterday he silenced the doubters in emphatic style.
Whitehead still uses the Twitter name marathonchamp, but there was nothing slow and steady about his world record win in the 200m.
Whitehead, a double amputee above the knee, was trailing coming off the bend, but surged through the field down the home straight, winning by a clear margin in 24.38 seconds – half a second quicker than his previous best.
Victory lit the fuse for some Usain Bolt-style celebrations and the 36-year old dedicated the win to a friend who recently passed away.
"That wasn't for me, that wasn't for Richard Whitehead, it was for everyone who has supported me," he said. "I was fighting back tears towards the end and I had to take a couple of minutes to pull myself together. That was a performance for everyone.
"There are so many people wanting you to win, so it's a big weight to carry on your shoulders. But I've got broad shoulders so I can bear the weight."
Whitehead has incredibly run two hours 42 minutes 54 seconds for the marathon, but International Paralympic Committee regulations prevented him from competing alongside arm amputees in the T46 marathon in the capital, with his attempt to challenge the rule at the Court of Arbitration for Sport last year failing.
He was greeted by a huge roar when introduced to the crowd before a faulty start added to the tension.
But there was no stopping the born barrier-breaker when the race got under way. He said: "The race didn't really go as expected; we were obviously pulled back, then I got off to a terrible start, but I know my start isn't quick and I run with what inspires me. I did that for my friend Simon Mellows who died recently."
Whitehead is now targeting the 100m, although it presents a harder challenge for an athlete who starts slowly and then accelerates.
Elsewhere, throwers Gemma Prescott, Rob Womack and Claire Williams all won bronze for their first Paralympic Games medals.
Prescott was first up in the women's club and drew inspiration from watching Whitehead sprint to victory.
"It was an amazing experience. I knew I had to PB to win a medal and I'm delighted," said Prescott, who threw 20.50 metres to finish third. "I've never been in an event with such support. I also saw Richard's race so that was inspiring."
Womack produced a PB to win bronze in the F54/55/56 shot and follow the lead of room-mate Aled Davies, who won the same medal in yesterday's F42/44 shot.
Williams, competing at her third Games, finished third in the F11/12 discus, courtesy of a fourth round throw of 39.63m.
"It's the best I've thrown for a while, I'm ecstatic," she said. "I've had so many ups and downs since I started, but this has made it all worthwhile – it's made up for the last 12 years and it makes me want to go to Rio. This medal, this is what it's for."
James Toney
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