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Richard Whitehead retains Paralympic 200m title
- Updated: September 12, 2016
Richard Whitehead, one of the stars of London 2012, defended his 200m T42 title in style, clocking 23.39. The double-leg amputee, who broke his Paralympic record in the heats with 23.03, had to work hard on the bend but pulled away to victory with his usual late burst and Ntango Mahlangu was nearest to him with 23.77.
The 40-year-old, who started off in the sport as a marathon runner but had to switch to sprinting because his classification did not include his favoured event, had gone into the event as a strong favourite after his 23.03 world record at the IPC Grand Prix final in London in July.
Whitehead said: “I think by the last 50m, I knew that I had won… It has been a tough 10 or 12 years in sport with a lot of challenges and obstacles to overcome. I am fortunate enough to have such a great team around me. Whether it has been my coach, Keith Antoine, who has been very loyal, or Tim Stevenson, Dave Jackson, British Athletics, Paula Dunn.”
As the GB athletics men’s team captain, he added: “The team as a whole is full of great ambassadors for the sport, and I enjoy being team captain. This has followed on from the success of Team GB, to try and be the greatest team ever and it has always been a pleasure to represent my country, whether that be as a participant or a team captain.”
It was double delight for the British team as David Henson took bronze with 24.74. Henson, who lost his legs after being hit by an explosive device while serving as a solider in Afghanistan in 2011, reflected on his journey to Olympic medallist. “Who’d have thought it? That fat lad from Southampton is a Paralympic bronze medallist, unbelievable,” he said. “It was tight for the medal – I wasn’t convinced I’d got it but I carried that belief all the way with me during the race. I raced with heart and with the belief.”
Jo Butterfield added Olympic gold following her world and European titles over the past two years, beating her own world record with 22.81m in the club throw F51. The wheelchair athlete was trailed by silver medallist Zola Ovsii of Ukraine (22.31m).
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