Whitehead storms to 200m gold medal

Marathon world record holder Richard Whitehead continued to push the boundaries of human achievement yesterday by racing to Paralympic gold in a new world record over 200 metres.

The 36-year-old, who has completed 24 marathons since 2004, turned to the sprints after being denied the chance to race over the longest distance on the streets of London.

Whitehead, greeted by a huge roar from a packed Olympic Stadium, conquered the challenge in style by clocking 24.38 seconds to take the T42 category title by a huge margin.

The Nottingham athlete came storming through down the home straight to lower his own world record, winning by more than a second in a high quality race in which every single competitor ran at least a personal best.

Whitehead lapped up the support, performing his take on the Royal wave, as Usain Bolt did ahead of his Olympic 200m final, when introduced to the crowd, with a faulty start adding to the tension.

The double above-the-knee amputee has incredibly also run two hours 42 minutes 54 seconds for the marathon, making his achievements surely as impressive as any among the athletes at the Games.

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.

The 100m and 200m are the only two distances in his class.

Whitehead’s London 2012 goal was to leave a legacy, saying just to go after another record and a gold medal would be “missing the whole ticket about the Paralympic Games”.

Whitehead told reporters: “Today I came and saw and conquered. That’s why I gave the two-gun salute at the end.

“I know a lot of the guys had trained hard for the (first) 150 metres. It was a bit choppy at the end but I held it together.

“On Friday, I didn’t feel too well. I had a headache and a bit of a temperature. But I overcame that, I’ve overcome so much in my life.

“Today was about giving back everyone here a performance. I’ve got all the support around me and that is why I’m successful. I’d like to dedicate the gold to my mum and dad and my girlfriend.

“I’ve still got the 100m to come which will be about putting my foot down.”