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| McKillop : Getty Images |
Ireland’s Michael McKillop copied his hero Mo Farah with a Mobot celebration as he sealed his status as the world’s greatest Paralympic middle-distance runner.
The 22-year-old, who suffers from cerebral palsy, easily won the T37 1,500 metres gold to go with the 800m gold he landed on Saturday.
He had a season's best coming into the race more than 20 seconds faster than the next quickest in the field and it proved as comprehensive on the track as it looked on paper.
Content to sit behind Australia's Brad Scott early on, he passed him before stretching clear from way out, already acknowledging the applause of the crowd as he came off the final bend.
His times of four minutes 08.11 seconds was a new Paralympic record and more than six seconds ahead of Scott. Great Britain's Dean Miller, who had been a medal contender, could only manage seventh.
McKillop's success came two days after he landed 800m gold in equally emphatic fashion.
And it took Ireland's gold medal total in the Olympic Stadium to three, sprinter Jason Smyth having started the ball rolling.
'It was unreal to come back and try and win the 1500m,' McKillop told Channel 4.
'It wasn't in Beijing so to get the chance to run it in London was great because 1500m is my preferred event.
'It's very hard [to do both], but with all the training I have done, I've put in the hard work for months and years and to stand on the starting line and race in the 800 and 1500m in a class that I'm at the top of is an honour. Getting the chance tonight to do it was unbelievable.'
McKillop paid tribute to his father and coach Paddy.
'Because he's my dad he had the shock of his kid being diagnosed with cerebral palsy and him and my mum have got me to where I am today,' he said.
'They went to find the best specialists, the best physios, so they've got me to the starting line so I owe it all to them.'
McKillop also paid tribute to his team-mates, in particular fellow gold medallist Jason Smyth.
'He's been there, done that; he trains with Tyson Gay,' said McKillop. 'He's my team-mate and best friend. He's been there to calm me down whenever I've needed to be calmed down, when I worry about things.
'I'm more of a thinker than he is, I think things up to be bigger than they actually are and he always told me I'm the best of the field and that if I just kept at it that I would win.
'So I believed in him and I believed in everything my dad said as well.'
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