Tokyo Paralympics: Jonnie Peacock plays down three-in-a-row chances
- Published
Jonnie Peacock holds the Paralympic record which he set in Rio in 2016
Paralympic Games on the BBC |
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Venue: Tokyo, Japan Dates: 24 August-5 September Time in Tokyo: BST +8 |
Coverage: Follow on Radio 5 Live and on the BBC Sport website |
British Paralympic star Jonnie Peacock says he is not thinking about winning a third sprint title at the Tokyo Games.
Peacock triumphed in London and Rio but suffered a hamstring injury earlier this season.
The 28-year-old believes Germany's Felix Streng is the favourite for the T64 100m title this time around.
"Winning a third consecutive Paralympic title is something I never dreamed would be possible," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"As elite athletes, this is the biggest stage. It is the 11 seconds that matter and I will give it absolutely everything.
"It will be a great spectacle and it's a race I would love to watch if I wasn't part of it."
Peacock is back in the Great Britain team for the first time since he won gold at the 2017 World Championships in London and his appearance on Strictly Come Dancing later that year.
He will face a big challenge from Streng, the bronze medallist from Rio, and his fellow German Johannes Floors, both of whom have gone faster than Peacock this season, but the Briton has always risen to the occasion, including famously on his Paralympic debut in 2012 while still a teenager.
The heats of the eagerly anticipated race take place on Sunday, 29 August (13:23 and 13:29 BST) with the final on Monday, 30 August (12:43).
"Felix and Johannes have been running extremely fast times over the past couple of years," said Peacock. "Felix is having the best season of his life and has run three-tenths of a second quicker than me this year.
"He is the favourite and should be the favourite because of the times he has run.
"He has an incredibly fast start and me and Johannes are top-end runners. The way I imagine it will go is he will get out first and it will be whether we can catch him over the last 40m.
"I know I had a slow start to the season but things are slowly lining up and I'm feeling in really good shape. The signs have been really positive and the confidence is building."
You can follow all the latest news from Tokyo on Paralympic Breakfast from 06:00-06:30 BST on Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds daily from Wednesday, 25 August.
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