IPC Athletics: Jonnie Peacock battles to European title

Jonnie Peacock's heat time was his fastest since July 2013

Paralympic champion Jonnie Peacock showed he is back in form with one of seven golds for Britain on the penultimate day of the IPC Athletics European Championships in Italy.

Peacock missed last year's World Championships in Doha through injury and was pushed all the way in the T44 100m final by Felix Streng.

He finished in 11.18 seconds, 0.02 secs clear of the German.

"It's a final and all about winning medals," said Peacock afterwards.

"I was happy with my time [10.88] in the heats and it's good to see I can do it when it matters.

"I want to be even faster but it a great feeling to be European champion again. I'm healthy, I managed to finish strongly so I have to be happy heading back into training."

Room-mates Jo Butterfield and Georgie Hermitage both won golds - Butterfield leading a British clean sweep in the combined F31/32/52 club throw and Hermitage adding the T37 100m to the 200m and 400m titles she won earlier in the competition.

"We both get on really well but there was no way I was going to let her be the only gold medallist in that room," said Butterfield. "I would have never heard the end of it."

London 2012 gold medallist Richard Whitehead made it a sprint double, winning the T42 200m with team-mate and 2014 Invictus Games GB team captain Dave Henson second for his first major international medal.

"I had to work for that one but I have been doing that all season," said Henson, who lost his legs while serving in Afghanistan in 2011 and was seventh behind Whitehead in the 100m final on Sunday.

"I can tell I am really coming into my own as a racer this year so that is a positive thing. It is really helping me get over what I have been through in my lifetime so I'm chuffed to bits to win a medal."

Like Peacock, wheelchair racer Mickey Bushell showed he is on the road to Rio after injury with success in the T53 100m while Scottish teenager Maria Lyle retained her T35 200m crown and sprinter Sophie Hahn added the T38 100m European title to her world title.

"It feels so good to be European champion and I am delighted with how I ran my race," said Hahn. "I started really well and that is something me and my coach have been focusing on so I am really happy to get do it here."

Britain now have 49 medals, including 20 golds, and are second in the medal table behind Russia who have won 109 medals, 42 of them gold.