Peacock enjoys his most sought-after medal after beating bout of cramp
Two-time Paralympic champion Jonnie Peacock achieved his one remaining goal before a sleepless night of celebrations featuring half a pint of beer.
Peacock won the T44 100 metres on Sunday night at the World Para Athletics Championships at the London Stadium where five years earlier at London 2012 he made his name.
“This was the last medal that I really wanted,” said Peacock, who successfully defended his Paralympic title in Rio last September. I’d love to go to Tokyo, World Championships in 2019 but, when I found out the World Championships were going to be in London, that’s all I really cared about.”
Relief was etched on the face of amputee sprinter Peacock, pictured, after crossing the line first on Sunday night, having battled a bout of cramp between the warm-up track and the start line.
The cramp was particularly debilitating in the hamstring on his blade side and denied him the opportunity to challenge for the world record of 10.61 seconds in which he had finished just 0.03secs short in qualification.
Instead of raucous celebrations, Peacock spent time with family and girlfriend Sally Brown, a London 2012 Paralympian, before retiring to his hotel room at 3am. It was at least two more hours before he could sleep and media commitments meant it was not for long.
The 24-year-old from Cambridgeshire added: “I find it hard after I race to drink or eat bad foods. I get really thirsty for water and salads and stuff, which is boring.”
Loughborough-based Peacock now plans to take a step back.
He added: “I’m not going to take the rest of the season very seriously. I’ve done what I needed to do this year.”
In 2018 he plans to train less and “just enjoy life”, by travelling with Brown and playing tennis and football. He does not completely rule out competing at the European Championships in Berlin, though. He added: “I’m probably going to feel a bit lost next year if I haven’t got much to do. I won’t know what to do with myself. “I say this all now and I’ll probably be back in full training by January.
“Next year taking a year out is going to be a completely new thing for me. It’s going to be full of different challenges and experiences and I’m sure I’m going to see things differently.
“Maybe I’ll want it more, maybe I’ll want it less. That’s a question for me in early 2019.”
The break for Peacock, who contracted meningitis aged five and had his right leg amputated below the knee, is mental as much as physical.
Physically he is concerned that the fact that his impairment is not symmetrical places other parts of his body under stress.
His gap year has the consent of coach Dan Pfaff and he has no doubts he will return.
“My desire to run is still there, it’s always going to be there,” he said.
“My greater concern is if I do come back that I’m going to be rubbish. But I spoke to Dan, my coach, who has seen this many times. That’s not a concern of his.” The board of the Guinness Pro12 will meet in Dublin today with the potential inclusion of South African teams the Cheetahs and Southern Kings top of the agenda.
The expansion of the league, which currently includes Glasgow, Edinburgh, four Welsh sides, four Irish and two from Italy, to 14 teams could result in a split into two conferences of seven.
The inclusion of South African sides is viewed as a chance to expand the league’s marketability and bridge the funding gap that has grown between the Pro12 and the English and Welsh leagues. If agreed, the new-look championship would involve teams playing their conference rivals home and away, but will also be expected to play against teams in the other conference at least once.
It is understood clubs are eager to safeguard as many derby games in the season as possible. SRU chief operating officer Dominic Mckay is a director on the Pro12 board.
The cross-border competition began at the end of the last century as a Scottish-welsh league before Irish provinces joined to form the Celtic League in 2001. Italian clubs Treviso and Aironi joined in 2010, with Zebre replacing the latter two years later.
The southern hemisphere Super Rugby competition is due to be cut from 18 to 15 next season, with one of the Australian teams also set to go.
The complexity of absorbing the South African franchises into a northern hemisphere club league means that precise details may not emerge today, although it is expected that more clarity on the issue will emerge following the Dublin meeting.
The Pro12’s ambition for expansion has been clear for some time, with talk also of including North American teams at some point. The long-term future of the struggling Italian sides in the competition remains to be seen, with Pro12 managing director Martin Anayi meeting with Italian rugby bosses last week in Rome.