Jonnie Peacock became the hero for Great Britain by winning the 100m
LONDON, England ● Oscar Pistorius failed to defend his Olympic title for a second time on Thursday, losing the T44 100m final to Great Britain’s Johnnie Peacock.
Dubbed the biggest race ever to have taken place in Paralympic history, Peacock carried the fastest personal best into the evening’s final. And, in a field boasting both Pistorius and newly-crowned 200m champion Alan Oliveira, Peacock led from start to finish as Pistorius finished outside the medals.
The drama began before the opening gun as a false start earned the field a green card, amid fears that Oliveira might see red. However, all eight men were given the chance to run, and Peacock got a phenomenal start.
Bursting out of the blocks, the 19-year-old was comfortably ahead of Pistorius through 20m as the defending champion instantly appeared to be struggling. With 30m to go it was obvious Peacock would take the title, while Pistorius was not even the fastest finishing South African.
The winning time was 10.90s – the first sub-11 time in Paralympic history, sparking an eruption around the Olympic Stadium as Peacock confirmed his status as a star of both the present and the future.
“We’ve seen the start of a great 100m sprinter,” Pistorius said of the Brit. “I hoped to finish in the medals tonight but 100m is not my thing. But well done to Johnnie.”
“It’s surreal,” Peacock said to Channel 4. “You see the others performing so well and you just want to go out and do your race. This Games will definitely leave a legacy.
“I knew this crowd would be insane. I didn’t think it’d be that crazy, but I was listening to see if I got a bigger cheer than Oscar! About 60m in I thought, ‘Oh crap, I’m in the lead’, but that must have been the best drive phase I’ve ever had.
“However, I should be going about three tenths quicker than that. I’ve possibly got 10.6 in me. I needed to stay stronger to do that.”
The USA’s Richard Browne finished second to claim silver with South Africa’s Arnu Fourie edging out compatriot Pistorius for bronze.