Wheelchair champion refocuses on 800m and marathon. 05 September 2012

David Weir successfully defended the T54 1500m Paralympic title he won in Beijing with another stunning display.

The Briton, who won gold over 5,000m on Sunday, edged out Prawat Wahoram in a record time of three minutes 12.09 seconds to claim the fourth Paralympic gold medal of his career.

“I’m overwhelmed really, I’m lost for words tonight,” said the 33-year-old.

“I thought I had gone too early but all of the endurance work I’ve done in recent weeks saw me through.”
Weir, who took control of the race on the final lap to win by under two tenths of a second, said his aim had been to win the 5,000m to give him “breathing space” ahead of the 1500m.

“It’s worked because I felt relaxed today,” he said. “I knew from the warm-up I was hitting top speed and that I had more in me.”

The wheelchair racer is also attempting to win gold in the 800m and marathon before the Games end on Sunday.

David Weir is a phenomenon. No wonder his team-mates have come up with a special song, reworking Warren Zevon’s old hit Werewolves of London in his tribute.

The victory means that Weir is now 2-0 up in the fierce three-way rivalry at the top of the most competitive class in Paralympic track and field, T54 wheelchair racing. The two men he is duelling with did not even feature. Switzerland’s Marcel Hug, who holds all four world records at 800m, 1500m, 5,000m and 10,000m, was fourth. And Australia’s Kurt Fearnley, who has nine Paralympic medals, was seventh.

In this form Weir will be favourite to beat them both and win the 800m title too. He says it will be a tactical affair but reckons he can win it whichever way they race it. “I felt so relaxed today, I wasn’t bouncing off the walls ready to race. I saved a lot of energy. I was very calm in warm-up and I did a few quicker laps in warm-up, and I just thought, ‘I have got loads in the tank.’ My speed was so good at the moment. I thought I went a little bit too early but all the endurance and speed work I have done in the last 12 weeks showed in that finish.” The 1500m, he said, has always been the blue riband event, the one he has wanted to win ever since he first saw it being raced at Barcelona in 1992.

The truth is, though, that Weir does not seem to favour one race over any other. He just wants to win everything. “I haven’t just come here to win on the track, I have come to win on the road as well.” The battle with Fearnley on Sunday could be the most special race of all.