Peacock wins gold and then breathes a massive sigh of relief
JONNIE PEACOCK had to run through the pain to regain his world title and be crowned King of London again.
The 24-year-old, who missed the last world championships in Doha in 2015 through injury, returned to the scene of his greatest triumph – when he won Paralympic gold in 2012.
Peacock breezed through his heat but in the final – when he had the world record in his sights – he got off to a slow start before powering through to claim gold.
The Cambridge sprinter, landing the T44 100m for the second time, was in agony with cramp just before the final which he won in 10.75secs.
But he got the job done, despite being slow out of the blocks and giving the lead to Jarryd Wallace.
The American finished third, with Johannes Floors in second, but Peacock outgunned the lot of them despite his pre-race pain.
Peacock said: “In my last stride in the warm-up area I felt a bit of cramp in my calf and didn’t think too much about it.
“But as I was walking to the track I felt it in both my biceps every time I held my leg.
“I did one stride and my hamstring just ripped up and wouldn’t let go. So I just stretched from then to the start of the race.
“I was trying to do as much as I could to loosen it off and to be honest I didn’t push too hard for the first 10 metres.”
Peacock showed he meant business in his heat when he posted a time of 10.64 seconds – a personal best – and was doing a Usain Bolt impression in the last 20 metres.
He had the race won and spent the last part of the sprint looking to his right to check on Floors in the outside lane.
But Floors was nowhere to be seen and the world best of 10.57 would have been under threat if Peacock had taken it seriously.
Peacock added: “I knew I was in a great place and in the heat I should’ve ran through and got the world record.
“The crowd is phenomenal, I was blown away. It is so great to be a part of it. Coming back here is insane.
“There is no other place that treats Para sport like this, we have taken it a step on.
“If we could have every World Championships here, that would be great as the way everyone laps it up is insane.”
Wallace paid tribute to Peacock afterwards. “Jonnie’s performance was amazing,” said Wallace. “He is an unbelievable lad and a great competitor. “He is the hometown hero. To run with him and against him, there is nothing better.”
Wales’ Aled Davies got the GB gold wagon rolling in the morning session by breaking the championship record in the F42 discus to land a third world title in the event.
Davies (above) threw 51.54m and warned he has more in the tank for this weekend in the shot put as he aims for a treble world title two-timer.
He said: “Now this is behind me, in the shot on Saturday you will see something special.”