“Blade Runner” Oscar Pistorius won 400m gold in world-record time to complete a Beijing Paralympics sprint treble on Tuesday.
The South African powered clear of his rivals to finish in 47.49 seconds, ahead of America’s Jim Bob Bizzell and British runner Ian Jones, breaking his own world record mark by almost half a second.
Pistorius said winning his final race and breaking the world record was a wonderful way to end his games.
“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. 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.”
His victory on the last night of track and field here follows wins in his category in the 100m and 200m races earlier in the Games.
Nicknamed after the carbon fibre blades he wears, Pistorius won a court battle to take part in the Olympics and has proved himself a strong competitor against able-bodied athletes.
He eventually failed to qualify for the Olympics, blaming in part the distraction of his court battle, but he is targeting the London 2012 Games.
Among his best achievements against able-bodied athletes was a second in the 400m event at the 2007 South African national championships.
