Glasgow 2014: David Weir powers to his first Commonwealth gold
- Published
Six-time Paralympic champion David Weir put in a majestic display to win his first Commonwealth Games gold medal in the men's T54 1500m.
The Englishman, 35, powered clear on the back straight to win in three minutes 21.67 seconds.
Silver went to Australia's Kurt Fearnley (3:23.08) with Canada's Alex Dupont (3:23.62) taking bronze.
Earlier, England's Jade Jones won her first senior medal with bronze in the women's T54 1500m.
The 18-year-old, who is mentored by Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, raced smartly in the tricky conditions.
She chased eventual winner Angie Ballard of Australia and runner-up Diane Roy of Canada over the final lap and held on comfortably for bronze.
11-time Paralympic champion Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson on David Weir |
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"This was a masterclass in sprinting from David Weir at the end. He made it look incredibly easy and the margin of victory is massive by the end. I think he was leaving it until this season to see if he would carry on until Rio 2016 but in my opinion he simply has to." |
"I didn't realise a medal was in my grasp until I crossed the line," said Jones.
"It's a really good building block for me to progress from now."
Weir took a break last season after winning four golds at London 2012, but he admitted that the lure of representing England for the first time in his illustrious career was key to him returning to the sport.
"This medal is special because it wasn't on my list until now," he told BBC Sport. "It means a lot to me to represent England and I am passionate about my country.
"This is why I carried on after 2012. It felt like London out there with so many English flags and it has been great.
"I had to come here in good shape to prove I am at my best and I can still do it at 35."
Both Weir and Jones will compete for Great Britain in next month's IPC Athletics European Championship, external in Swansea.
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