‘Blade Runner’ wins third gold medal

09-17-2008 | AFP

He failed to qualify for the Olympics but he is targeting the London 2012 Games

Panama Star BEJING. South Africa's sprint sensation Oscar “Blade Runner” Pistorius won his third gold of the Beijing Paralympics Tuesday as hosts China smashed through the 200-medal mark on the penultimate day.

Meanwhile Canadian wheelchair racer Chantal Petitclerc joined swimmers Natalie du Toit from South Africa and Australia's Matthew Cowdrey as one of the superstars of the Games with five golds.

Pistorius powered clear of his rivals to finish in 47.49secs, ahead of America's Jim Bob Bizzell and British runner Ian Jones in the “Bird's Nest” National Stadium on the final night of track and field. Pistorius, already the 100m and 200m champion in his class, broke his own world mark by almost half a second. “It was definitely something I was hoping for and to end with a world record is a dream come true. This has been by far one of the most memorable competitions of my life,” he said.

“It's definitely something that's going to stay with me for the rest of my life. I've had such a good time. The crowd's been so passionate and I'm just so grateful for everyone who's been supporting me.” The 21-year-old is the world record holder in his category in all three events. Nicknamed after the carbon fibre blades he wears, Pistorius had already gained fame before Beijing after proving himself a strong competitor against able-bodied athletes and making a high-profile bid to compete in the Olympics. He eventually failed to qualify for the Olympics but he is targeting the London 2012 Games.

Victory in the 1,500m for Petitclerc Tuesday adds to golds in the 10 20 400m and 800m competitions and she joins Du Toit and Cowdrey as the only athletes to have won five golds each in Beijing.