British teenager Jonnie Peacock was crowned the fastest amputee on earth when he claimed Paralympic gold in London on this day 11 years ago.
Peacock upstaged Oscar Pistorius in the most eagerly-anticipated race of the Paralympics to take the 100 metres crown in the T44 category on September 6, 2012.
The then 19-year-old from Cambridge showed no regard for reputations as he stormed away from the field to win in 10.90 seconds, a new Paralympic record.
Pistorius, then the world’s most famous Paralympian prior to being jailed for the murder of his girlfriend in South Africa, did not even make the podium.
Peacock came into the Games as the T44 world record holder but inexperienced on the big stage.
He proved he could more than handle the occasion, dealing with a faulty start and even trying to quieten the chants of ‘Peacock, Peacock, Peacock’ that rang around the stadium before the start.
He said: “I didn’t know who would get a bigger cheer, Oscar Pistorius or me, because he is such a legend. It feels like I’m on top of this world the way we’ve been performing here.
“I haven’t been nervous. I was doing my strides in warm-up and I was ready. I felt on form, I knew I had it in me.
“I am a little bit (disappointed I didn’t go faster). The form I’ve been in in the last few weeks, it is a bit of a shame. But, to come out on this stage, it really was a mental battle more than anything else.”
Only American Richard Browne could get close to the Briton, claiming silver in 11.03secs on what was a glorious night for the home nation, with David Weir and Hannah Cockcroft also winning gold.
Peacock went on to defend his crown at the 2016 Paralympics in Brazil, where he reclaimed the world record he had subsequently lost to Browne in 10.81secs.
Reclassified to T64 for the Tokyo Games, he dramatically shared the bronze medal with German Johannes Floors.
