Rio 2016 Paralympics: Jonnie Peacock relaxed as he bids for glory in T44 100m final

Running man: Jonnie Peacock
Jason Cairnduff/Reuters
Rob Maul9 September 2016

Jonnie Peacock has shed the nerves and will line up in tonight’s T44 100m final in the most relaxed form of his life.

Peacock is normally a bundle of nerves at a major chapionships but, after setting a Paralympic record of 10.81 seconds in the sprint heats, the 23-year-old said he was more on edge about booking a romantic break to Paris with his girlfriend after these Games rather than the defence of his Paralympic title.

“I was saying to Sally, my girlfriend, on FaceTime that I’m not nervous yet and it’s really weird because every time I go to a championship I get really nervous,” he said.

“This is the first time I have been completely chilled. If anything, I’m more excited about booking my holiday after the Games. The plan is to meet her in Paris and have a good time there, just to switch off before all the craziness starts again.”

Before whisking her away to the French capital, Peacock has his sights set on regaining his position as the world’s fastest man on one leg, with competition expected to come from Jarryd Wallace, the baseball cap-wearing American who has been the form man over the 100m this season, and Germany’s Felix Streng.

Of that trio, Peacock was the quickest in qualifying but he insisted he would need to lower his new Paralympic mark further to force his way onto the podium just before midnight tonight.

After his heat, Peacock said: “I need to go faster than that [10.81] because I wouldn’t be surprised if sub-80 was silver or even bronze.

“There are a lot of fast guys in the field, it’s a good track and a good temperature. I looked at the weather and it’s potentially going to rain for the final so you just don’t know.

“But if we get some decent whether I can go faster than that because that felt smooth.”

The London 2012 champion, who said winning in Rio was a far tougher prospect than in front of his home crowd four years ago, even had time to ease up over the line in his heat to further boost his confidence following a difficult few years.

After those home Games, Peacock’s coach, Dan Pfaff, relocated to the United States and he started working with Pfaff’s protege, Steve Fudge, instead. A series of injury problems then ensued and the sprinter has since reunited with Pfaff.

Now the Briton finds himself in the form and fitness capable of a successful defence, an outcome he described as “special”. His focus is not so much on where he stops the clock but merely on his position across the line inside the Olympic Staium here in Rio.

“I’m happy with 10.81, the fastest run of the year,” he said of his heat time.

“I couldn’t have asked for anything more. It felt relatively easy and I know I’m in great form.

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“That’s what this year is about. Every month that goes by, the time comes down and, of course, I hope to go a lot faster than that in the final.

“But the reality is that people remember the gold medals and not the times. I am capable of a fast time but really I’ve just got a shiny medal in my sights.”

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