Publications
Partners
Johannesburg - Oscar Pistorius was pipped at the post in the final of the men’s 100-metre dash (T43/44) at the IPC Athletics World Championships in Christchurch, New Zealand on Wednesday.And it was the man he most feared going into the championships, Jerome Singleton, who snatched gold from under the Bladerunner’s nose in race run in light drizzle.
American Singleton who made no bones about the fact that his mission was to beat Pistorius in the 100m, clocked a season’s best 11.33sec to take the victory.
So close was the contest that Pistorius, who holds the world record of 10.91, was credited with the same time at Singleton. Bronze went to Alan Fonteles Cardosa Oliveira of Brazil in 11.43 and he denied another South African, Arnu Fourie the chance of a medal.
Both athletes were credited with the same time. After being built up as a threat to Pistorius and Singleton, not even a season’s best by American Blake Leeper (11.57) could get him close to the podium as he ended fifth.
In a virtual re-run of the race from the last Paralympic Games, which Pistorius won by 0.03 seconds, Singleton held a lead after 50m.
Pistorius then staged one of his trademark comebacks to draw level with Singleton on the line but it was just not enough for victory. It’s the first time that Pistorius has been beaten in a major championships since the 2004 Athens Olympics.
There was also heartbreak for Fanie van der Merwe in the longer sprint event. He was edged out of first place in the men’s 200m final (T37). Van der Merwe clocked 23.67 as Algeria’s Sofiance Hamdi won in 23.64sec.
Not only did Van der Merwe had to settle for second he had to come to terms with the fact that Hamdi had eclipsed his world record of 23.72sec, sett in Assen, Netherlands last year.
