SPORT TODAY
MONDAY
ALL SPORTS START HERE
Jones out following surgery
Kubica race for first time since crash - more on page : 5
- more on pg : 4
TENNIS
24 AUGUST 2012
Revenge of The Blade Runner!
Djokovic trails Ferer as Tornado halts US open -more on pg : 6
GOLF
O Storm lets five shot lead slip at KLM Open - more on pg : 7
scar Pistorius arrived at these Paralympics a fortnight ago as the poster boy of the Games and in the final sporting event to be held in the Olympic Stadium during this extraordinary London summer, he crowned the festival of sport by storming to gold in the T44 400 metres in a Paralympic record. He obliterated a high-class field to wipe away any doubts that he remains a superior talent, crossing the line to a cacophonous roar yards ahead of his closest pursuer. It was a sight to behold and some 80,000 people cheered their approval as Pistorius wrapped himself in a South African flag and jogged a lap to honour to a rapturous reception. Pistorius clocked 46.68 seconds, which made him 3.46 seconds faster than the man who finished in second place, Blake Leeper of the United States, who ran 50.14sec. Leeper’s compatriot, David Prince, took the bronze and Alan Oliveira,
of Brazil, who stunned Pistorius last week in the 200m — and provoked controversial comments from the Blade Runner over the length of the young Brazilian’s blades — finished in fourth place and apparent pain. ‘It was a very special race for me,’ said Pistorius, for whom this was a first individual gold medal of these Games. ‘This summer has been a dream come true. This is one of the biggest highlights of my life. I was very nervous before today’s race. I was quite tired but the crowd just really kept me going.’ Pistorius and Oliveira struck out together as the starting pistol fired and were reasonably close over the first 200m. What happened next was as breathtaking as it was brilliant in execution. With an utterly devastating blast of place in what Lord Coe described afterwards as the ‘killing zone’ of the third 100m, Pistorius was away, and then some. Coe said: ‘He has that star quality. He was absolutely majestic
tonight.’ Pistorius, in turn, paid tribute to Coe, who led the organisers of this summer’s Olympics and Paralympics, and to London, for staging such a wonderful Games. The 25-year-old South African has done more than any other athlete to put the Paralympics on the global map since he first won medals aged 17 in the Athens Games of 2004. Famously, he has overcome the loss of both his legs when he was 11 months old to reach athletic levels never matched before by a double amputee, including competing against able-bodied athletes at the Olympics. And while the Blade Runner has dashed into unexpected controversy this past week, he has still been a major star in an extraordinary show. ‘This was a very, very special race for me, said Pistorius. ‘It was the last event of my season, the last event of the London 2012 Games. Just so special. -more on page ; 2