Jonnie Peacock Wins Over Oscar

Getty Images

British teenager Jonnie Peacock stormed to victory in the 100 metres final in 10.90 seconds, a new Paralympic record.

The 19-year-old from Cambridge showed no regard for reputations, upstaging South Africa's Oscar Pistorius with a thrilling run.

He came into the Games as the T44 world record holder but inexperienced on the big stage, but proved he can more than handle the big occasion.

Only American Richard Browne could get close to the Briton, claiming silver in 11.03secs.

Pistorius, the defending champion, was never in contention, finishing fourth behind fellow South African and room-mate Arnu Fourie, but was quick to embrace Peacock at the finish.

Chants of 'Peacock, Peacock, Peacock' rang around the stadium before the start, which was delayed when Brazilian Alan Fonteles Oliveira appeared to twitch and the field were asked to stand up.

A faulty rather than a false start was the verdict and the added tension did not affect Peacock, who was able to race off on a lap of honour draped in the Union Flag.

Peacock's victory crowned a golden night for Great Britain, coming minutes after David Weir had continued his relentless pursuit of quadruple gold by making it three out of three with yet another masterful ride, this time to win the 800m title.

Peacock said afterwards: "This Games is definitely a legacy, and to be part of that is amazing.

"I knew this crowd was going to be intense. Dave Weir going minutes before - I knew he'd win, and I knew the crowd would be on a high.

"(But) I didn't think it was going to be that crazy."

Related articles

• National Sport: Peacock storms to 100m gold
• Pistorius hails great show by rival
• Pistorius stunned by Peacock
• Peacock takes 100m gold as Pistorius comes fourth
• Britain's Jonnie Peacock powers to Paralympics gold in 100-metres dash as Oscar Pistorius misses podium
• Peacock storms to 100m gold

Pistorius Pipped by Brazilian Oliveira

A month after his groundbreaking Olympic debut, Oscar Pistorius was reeling from a stunning upset Sunday in the London Paralympics.

The "Blade Runner" had never been beaten over 200 meters until Brazilian sprinter Alan Oliveira came storming down the home straight to win by 0.07 seconds and dethrone the icon of the Paralympics.

Pistorius later accused Oliveira of bending the rules.

Having won his own legal battle to compete wearing carbon-fiber blades alongside able-bodied rivals, Pistorius suggested that Oliveira ran with longer prosthetics than should be allowed.

Oliveira won in 21.45 seconds after overtaking Pistorius at the line at Olympic Stadium in front of a capacity 80,000-strong crowd.

"Not taking away from Alan's performance -- he's a great athlete -- but these guys are a lot taller and you can't compete (with the) stride length," Pistorius said in a broadcast interview. "You saw how far he came back. We aren't racing a fair race. I gave it my best. The IPC (International Paralympic Committee) have their regulations. The regulations (allow) that athletes can make themselves unbelievably high.

"We've tried to address the issue with them in the weeks up to this and it's just been falling on deaf ears."

For Pistorius, it is "ridiculous" that Oliveira could win after being eight meters adrift at the 100-meter mark.

"He's never run a 21-second race and I don't think he's a 21-second athlete," Pistorius said. "I've never lost a 200-meter race in my career."

Oliveira insisted he had not broken the rules, and expressed disappointment with Pistorius' criticism.

"He is a really great idol, and to listen to that coming from a really great athlete is really difficult," Oliveira said through a translator. "I don't know who he's picking a fight with, it's not with me."

Oliveira was backed by Paralympic leaders.

"There is a rule in place regarding the length of the blades, which is determined by a formula based on the height and dynamics of the athlete," the IPC said in a statement. "All athletes were measured today prior to competition by a classifier and all were approved for competition."

IPC officials met with Pistorius after the race.

"He wanted to voice his concerns and we listened to those concerns," said IPC spokesman Craig Spence, one of three people to meet with Pistorius. "The IPC will meet with Oscar at a later date to discuss his concerns once the emotion of tonight is out of the way."

The second half of Pistorius' year in London is not running to script.

At the start of last month, the South African reached the 400 semifinals and the 1,600 relay final. Competing at the Olympics was some achievement alone, though the medals were meant to come at the Paralympics.

He was hoping to go one better than the trio of golds he won in Beijing, but can still leave London with the same haul.

Next up is the 400 relay Wednesday before he tries to defends his titles in the 100 on Thursday and 400 on Saturday.

Related articles

• Oliveira stuns Pistorius in Paralympics 200 final
• "Blade Runner" dealt stunning loss at Paralympics
• Pistorius cries foul
• Pistorius cries foul after shock loss
• Pistorius pipped by Oliveira
• 'I've never seen it in my life'

South Africa and Pistorius Earn Reprieve

Double amputee Oscar Pistorius's historic Olympic campaign gained a reprieve as South Africa were given a place in Saturday's 4x400m relay final on appeal.

Pistorius, 25, thought his adventure had come to an end when second-leg runner Ofentse Mogawane fell on the bend into the home straight after tangling with Kenya's Vincent Kiilu.

However, Kenya were subsequently disqualified, prompting South Africa to appeal.

"The Jury of Appeal met and agreed to advance the South African team to the final, even though they did not finish the race, considering that they had been severely damaged in the incident with Kenya," said the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in a statement.

"South Africa will run as an additional team in lane nine."

Before the appeal had succeeded, Pistorius said: "I was standing there and I took my eyes off the screen and kept them on the straight and obviously just as I took them off it must have happened.

"He's not the biggest of guys and initially I thought he was maybe pushed in behind someone and then I just carried on looking and he didn't come out.

"It's really tough at the moment. I feel sorry for my team-mates, they're a phenomenal group of guys.

"It's just really disappointing for us because we came off a second place at the world champs last year and a national record and we've got more or less the same team."

Oscar Is Pistorius About Eligibility Issue

Olympic bound athlete Oscar Pistorius has admitted he is tired of questions about his eligibility.

The South African 400m runner is known as the 'Blade Runner' because of the prosthetic carbon-fibre limbs he uses to run with.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport cleared Pistorius to compete against able-bodied athletes in 2008 but the issue continues to dominate.

"This is not something I can give much more energy to," the 25-year-old told the Daily Telegraph.

"I would be answering these questions for days. You'll find a journalist who has not approached the story properly, or somebody with the title of professor or doctor who wants to make a name for himself.

"He will argue that water is dry, or that orange used to be green. They will try to be controversial for the sake of it."

Pistorius, who will also compete at the Paralympics, is hoping that the London Olympics will give him the opportunity to change views on disability.

He added: "Putting on my legs is like putting on my shoes. I understand that's how some people might think differently, but I hope that in London, their perceptions open up."

Pistorius Selected Twice for London 2012

Oscar Pistorius is set to be the first double amputee runner at the Olympic Games after being picked by South Africa for the 400m at London 2012.

The 25-year-old has also been picked for the 4x400m relay squad.

"Today is truly one of the proudest days of my life," said Pistorius, who will also compete in the Paralympics.

"It is a real honour and I am so pleased that years of hard work, determination and sacrifice have all come together."

Pistorius was born in Johannesburg and had both legs amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old because of a congenital condition that meant he was born without lower leg bones

Pistorius appeared to have missed the chance of competing in the individual 400m after he narrowly failed to clock the 'A' standard time for a second time as required by South Africa's Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc).

But his inclusion in the relay team opened up his chance to also race in the individual event.

"As I have said many times before, we are not taking passengers to London," said Sascoc president Gideon Sam.

"Everyone has met selection criteria and are genuine Olympic Games material, either now or for 2016. I wish them all the best."

Pistorius ran in the individual 400m at the 2011 World Championships in South Korea but did not progress beyond the semi-finals.

He also ran in the relay but, after running in the heats, he was omitted from the final as South Africa went on to claim silver.

Pistorius is known as the 'Blade Runner' because of the prosthetic carbon fibre limbs he runs with. He was cleared to compete against able-bodied athletes in 2008 when an IAAF ruling that his blades gave him an unfair advantage was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Pistorius will also compete at the Paralympic Games in London in the 100m, 200m, 400m and 4x100m relay.

"I have a phenomenal team behind me who have helped get me here and I, along with them, will now put everything we can into the final few weeks of preparations before the Olympic Games where I am aiming to race well, work well through the rounds, post good times and maybe even a personal best time on the biggest stage of them all," added Pistorius.

"I am also hugely excited to then be competing to defend my three Paralympic titles at the Paralympic Games.

"I believe we will see some amazing times posted and I am very much looking forward to what will be an incredible Olympics and Paralympics in London."

Pistorious Just Misses Olympic Mark

Getty Images

Oscar Pistorius has missed the qualifying time needed for him to become the first amputee sprinter to compete individually at an Olympics.

The South African ran 45.52 seconds in the 400m final of the African Athletics Championships, two-tenths short of the required mark.

He is now unlikely to be selected by the Olympic Committee despite running under the 'A' standard in March.

The 25-year-old is still hoping to be selected in the 4x400m relay team.

The South African selectors had required Pistorius to run under 45.3 seconds for a second occasion, and the race in Benin was his last chance of doing this before London 2012.

"My race today felt good and I'm pleased to have won the silver medal at the African Championships," Pistorius said. "I was in good shape to set the time and believe my speed will only increase over the next few weeks.

"I am also extremely excited about the Paralympic Games in London and a big focus for me will be defending my three titles as well as being part of the South African team competing for a world record in the 4x100m relay at the Paralympics."

Pistorius Believes Experince Key

Oscar Pistorius believes his Paralympic experience will be key when it comes to the 100m final at this year's Games.

The South African double amputee sprinter was beaten to gold by American Jerome Singleton at last year's World Championships in New Zealand.

Their re-match on Thursday 6 September is one of the most keenly anticipated races at the Games.

"I have experience from previous Games in Beijing and Athens and I think that counts a lot," said Pistorius.

"I hope it works in my favour because I know the 100m will be a challenge. In Athens I came third by eight-hundredths of a second, in Beijing I won gold by three-hundredths of a second," he told BBC Sport.

"The 100m has never been a sure bet and it is nobody's medal until you cross the line.

"The event is unbelievably close and unbelievably challenging, and I won't be so self-assured going into that race.

"There are three or four guys who I have kept my eye on - not only Jerome but also my compatriot Arnu Fourie, who has posted one of the fastest times so far this year."

With 100 days to go to the start of the 2012 Paralympics, Pistorius, who will be competing at the Paralympic World Cup in Manchester on Tuesday, has a busy schedule as he hopes to defend his three Paralympic titles in London and also qualify for the 400m at the Olympics.

The 25-year-old, who reached the semi-finals of the 400m at last year's World Championships in Daegu and was also part of the 4x400m relay team which won silver though he missed out on the final, needs to run the A qualifying standard again.

After Manchester he will travel to the Czech Republic to race in Ostrava before the Diamond League meetings in Prefontaine, Oregon and New York as he bids to achieve the 45.30s qualifying time for a second time this year.

"I've been preparing for the Olympics for five years and I missed Beijing by a quarter of a second, so that is something I really want to achieve, and to run at the Paralympics afterwards is really something special and I am just as excited for that," he added.

"I have the 4x100m relay for the first time at the Paralympics which is probably one of the most exciting things for me.

"I find relays unbelievably fun, especially the 4x100, and South Africa ran at the Worlds last year and won with very little practice, but we have a strong team and gold is a goal for us."

Singleton, who won a surprise silver four years ago in addition to 4x100m relay gold, said he was happy to be part of a golden era of amputee sprinting and is relishing the rivalry with Pistorius.

"Of course Oscar is like a twin brother who you just want to beat at things, but I'm happy for him and I respect all my competitors for what they do," he said.

"But when it comes to rivalry, that's always been in sport - Muhammad Ali had George Foreman, Magic Johnson had Larry Bird and now Oscar Pistorius has Jerome Singleton or maybe it should be the the other way around as I am the world champion.

"It is something that is very big and I'm happy to be part of it and I'm thankful that at this time, amputee sprinting has gone to a whole new level."

Pistorius Should be London Bound

Oscar Pistorius hopes to have done enough to qualify for the London Olympics after again running the 400m 'A' qualification time.

In November, South Africa's Olympic Committee (Sascoc) said their athletes must run the qualifying time three months before the Games.

Double-amputee Pistorius, 25, ran a time of 45.20 seconds, just inside the qualification standard of 45.30.

"This is a huge moment for me and I am trying to take it all in," he said.

“I would be proud to compete for my country at the Olympic and Paralympic Games”Oscar Pistorius

Pistorius, who runs in carbon fibre blades, beat the qualifying time in July, earning a place at the 2011 World Championships to become the first amputee to compete.

Sascoc chief executive Tubby Reddy said if he ran it again within three months of the Games, which start on 27 July, he would qualify.

Pistorius achieved the required time at the Provincial Championships for Gauteng North in a selection event for the South African National Championships.

He added: "I am absolutely thrilled to have run the Olympic qualification time.

"I am looking forward to hopefully being confirmed by Sascoc as a member of the South African Olympic team and I will do everything I can to train and prepare to the best of my ability.

"I would be proud to compete for my country at the Olympic and Paralympic Games."

Mark Allen Tweets Again

Mark Allen continued his criticism of the Haikou World Open venue in China on Friday after beating Mark King 5-1 to reach the semi-finals.

UK Championship finalist Allen made headlines on Thursday when he criticised conditions at the Chinese venue as "horrendous".

Allen's latest comments on Twitter on Friday were related to the heat in the venue which he said was a "disgrace."

Mark Selby beat Shaun Murphy 5-0 in another of Friday's quarter-finals.

In Friday's other two quarter-finals, Graeme Dott will face Stephen Lee with John Higgins taking on Robert Milkins.

After his 5-4 win over Judd Trump on Thursday, Allen tweeted: "Dead cat found this morning. Any wonder this place stinks. Must be dead cats all round the town."

Allen continued his criticisms of the tournament venue on Twitter after his latest win over King, claiming that the heat in the arena made the conditions a "disgrace".

"World Snooker said air con was full up. We asked if we could take our bow ties off as it was too warm," Allen said on Twitter.

"Got to Kingy a bit more than me. Played alright though all things considered."

Allen, who has previously criticised World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn,was already facing the possibility of further disciplinary action following his comments on Thursday.

Allen wrote on Thursday: "This place is horrendous. It just baffles me how world snooker continuously go out of their way to put tournaments on in the middle of nowhere."

Left-handed Allen, who is from Antrim in Northern Ireland, is ranked 12th in World Snooker.

He deleted an earlier tweet in which he allegedly criticised the local population.

The Press Association reported Allen as saying: "Journey a nightmare. People are ignorant. Place stinks. Arena's rubbish, tables poor, food is horrendous. Other than that I love China."

Allen later partly apologised if any of his opinions had caused offence.

He wrote: "As usual people jump on the hate-Allen bandwagon. Might've been a bit harsh a few hours ago in my tweet. Not all Chinese people are ignorant. I stand by everything else though.

"I did take back the ignorant part but the smell is a joke. Not telling any lies.

"Nearly being spat on and general poor manners and personal hygiene are very poor. Not all like that though."

Vivian Cheruiyot Wins Laureus

Kenyan athlete Vivian Cheruiyot, who won the 5,000 and 10,000 metres titles at the world championships last year, won sportswoman's award. Serbian tennis star Novac Djokovic was named overall sportsman of the year.

On the anniversary of the Munich Disaster, Sir Bobby Charlton won the Laureus Sport Lifetime Achievement award. 

However The Manchester United legend was unable to attend Monday's awards dinner in London after falling ill on Sunday and undergoing minor surgery in Manchester and Sir Alex Ferguson accepted the award on his behalf.

Serbian tennis star Novac Djokovic was named overall sportsman of the year with Kenyan athlete Vivian Cheruiyot, who won the 5,000 and 10,000 metres titles at the world championships last year, taking the sportswoman's award.

Barcelona were named team of the year after winning La Liga and the Champions League.

Northern Ireland golfers Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy were among the award winners at the 2012 Laureus Sports Awards in London.

Clarke, 43, won the Comeback of the Year award for his memorable victory in the Open Championship at Sandwich.

McIlroy picked up the Breakthrough honour in recognition of his eight-shot win at the US Open.

"It was a great year to win my first major and to get into the top three in the world rankings," said McIlroy.

"I think 2012 is going to be a really exciting year.

"I'd love to back up my US Open win with another major this year, and hopefully try and get to number one."

Clarke, who is currently ranked 55 in the world, was delighted to collect another award.

"I was going to say earlier when I was up there (on stage) accepting it, I have been the oldest person to receive the award," he said.

"I believe it has been a long time coming and I have worked very hard and eventually got there.

"For me the Open Championship is the biggest and best tournament in the world and I feel very fortunate that I got there in the end."

THE WINNERS AND NOMINEES: (Winners names in bold type):

World Sportsman of the Year:

Usain Bolt, Novak Djokovic, Lionel Messi, Dirk Nowitzki, Sebastian Vettel, Cadel Evans

World Sportswoman of the Year:

Vivian Cheruiyot, Maria Höfl-Riesch, Carmelita Jeter, Petra Kvitova, Homare Sawa, Yani Tseng

World Sports Team of the Year

All Blacks, FC Barcelona, Dallas Mavericks, England Cricket Team, Japan Women's Football Team, Red Bull F1 team

World Breakthrough of the Year:

Yohan Blake, Petra Kvitova, Rory McIlroy, Li Na, Oscar Pistorius, Mo Farah

World Comeback of the Year:

Eric Abidal, Darren Clarke, Crusaders, Sergio Garcia, Liu Xiang, Queensland Reds

World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability:

Daniel Dias, Terezinha Guilhermina, Oscar Pistorius, Esther Vergeer, David Weir, Irek Zaripov

World Action Sportsperson of the Year:

Jamie Bestwick, Philip Köster, Carissa Moore, Travis Rice, Kelly Slater, Shaun White

Singleton London Pistorius Showdown

Jerome Singleton says that his 100m showdown with Oscar Pistorius will be a highlight of the London Paralympics.

The American sprinter beat the South African double amputee at last year's World Championships in New Zealand.

He is now hoping to do the same again in the Paralympic final on 6 September.

"It's going to be a phenomenal race. The quality of amputee sprinting at the moment means this race is going to be the best ever," Singleton told BBC Radio 5 live.

"You will see Oscar and I racing head-to-head and we will both be trying to make it the best show possible."

Singleton, 25, had his right leg amputated below the knee when he was aged 18 months as a result of a birth defect and after playing basketball and American Football as well as competing in hurdles, he moved to Paralympic sport in 2006.

He finished second to Pistorius in the 100m at the Beijing Paralympicsbut at that time was combining training with studying maths, applied physics and industrial engineering at the University of Michigan.

Following his dramatic photo-finish victory in New Zealand and now as a full-time athlete, he is targetting another big victory.

"The goal is to go out there and try my best and reach my potential this year," he added. "I look at Oscar like a brother. He's like a best friend but I want to beat him when it comes to competition."

Pistorius London Place Unconfirmed

Oscar Pistorius is not guaranteed a place at the 2012 Olympics in London, South Africa's Olympic Committee (Sascoc) has confirmed.

The double-amputee, 24, ran the Olympic "A" qualifying time in July, earning a place at the 2011 World Championships.

But Sascoc says all South African athletes must run the Olympic qualifying time again before the Games.

"Within three months of the Games, if he runs that time he qualifies," said Sascoc chief executive Tubby Reddy.

"Many people have said he has run that time already, however, he has not qualified."

In September Pistorius told the BBC he is determined to win a medal at both the London Olympics and Paralympics.

Sascoc president Gideon Sam said that South Africa's Olympic body had tightened its criteria after several swimmers posted the qualifying time just once before the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and then put in disappointing performances at the Games.

"We have to stick to our guns," he said. "The criteria works like this: to avoid a situation of a flash in the pan, you make the time, but you have to show evidence that again you can make that time.

"There's opportunities up to July next year for all the other athletes. And there will be more of them."

At present, only a handful of South African rowers, a canoeist and the country's women's football team are certain of competing in London.

Pistorius ran a personal best 45.07 seconds on his carbon fibre blades at a meeting this year in Italy, the first and only time he has run inside the "A" standard time.

That meant he became the first ever amputee athlete to qualify for the World Championships.

He clocked 45.39 in the 400m heats in Daegu and then 46.19 as he finished last in his semi-final and failed to reach the final.

But Pistorius, known as Blade Runner, did become the first Paralympian to win an able-bodied World Championship medal when the South African 4x400m team won silver.

The double amputee did not run in the final but took part in the heats, making him eligible for a medal.

Oscar Pistorius Makes SA Team

Oscar Pistorius will become the first amputee athlete to compete at the able-bodied World Championships, after being named in South Africa's squad.

The 24-year-old double-amputee, who competes on carbon fibre legs, will race in the 400m and 4x400m relay

The event begins in Daegu, South Korea on 27 August.

Women's 800m world champion Caster Semenya, who was cleared to run last year after an 11-month lay-off because of gender tests, is also in the squad.

Pistorius said: "I have dreamt for such a long time of competing in a major championships and this is a very proud moment in my life.

"It will be a great day for me when I set out on the track in Daegu and I hope to do my country proud.

"This will be the highest-profile and most prestigious able-bodied event which I have ever competed in, and I will face the highest-calibre of athletes from across the planet."

An International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) ban was overturned in 2008, allowing Pistorius to compete against able-bodied athletes.

The IAAF's ruling that his "blades" gave him an unfair advantage was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Pistorius clocked a personal best time of 45.07 seconds in Italy last month to qualify just inside the cut-off time.

"If I manage to make it through the heats, I would be thrilled," he added.

"A good performance for me would be to be consistent through the heats. If I ran anywhere close to my PB, I would be delighted."

Semenya, 20, will return to the event where she sprang to prominence in 2009, winning the 800m in Berlin in the year's fastest time.

She has struggled with a back injury following the lay-off, after which she was cleared to continue competing.

The chairman of Athletics South Africa, James Evans, said: "We selected all those athletes who fulfilled the qualification criteria.

"With 11 athletes competing for the first time at this level we are very clearly looking to 2012 and beyond."

Men's 800m world champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, 400m hurdler LJ van Zyl and Olympic and world long jump silver-medallist Khotso Mokoena were also named in the 26-strong squad.

Oscar Pistorius Qualifies for London 2012

Oscar Pistorius has qualified for next month’s World Championships and the London 2012 Olympics after clocking 45.07 seconds for the 400 metres at a meeting in Italy.

The South African double amputee, who runs with carbon fibre prosthetic running blades after being born without a fibula in both legs, achieved the 45.25secs ‘A’ standard qualifying time by winning a race in Lignano.

The 24-year-old, a four-time Paralympic gold medallist, finished well clear of the field as he smashed his personal best of 45.61.

Pistorius will become the first amputee sprinter to compete at the World Championships, which get under way in Daegu, South Korea, on August 27, and the Olympics.

The race was Pistorius’ final chance to seal his spot in Daegu and came just two days after he had clocked 46.65 in windy conditions in Padua.

Pistorius, who had both lower legs amputated when he was 11 months old, but failed to qualify for the 400m at the 2008 Beijing Games.

In 2008, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled in his favour after a lengthy legal battle with the International Association of Athletics Federations over his blades.