If this does turn out to be Richard Whitehead’s farewell tour, the Paralympic legend’s swaggering defence of his T42 200m title at the World Para Athletics Championships was the perfect way to prepare for the ultimate quest of finally becoming the 100m world champion.
On a night when Sophie Hahn, Hollie Arnold and Sammi Kinghorn broke world records to clinch golds in the T38 200m, the F46 javelin and the T53 200m respectively, the London Stadium reserved its loudest and fondest cheer for Whitehead, who later dodged questions about whether winning Monday night’s T42 100m final will convince him to retire. It seems the double Paralympic champion, who turns 41 on Wednesday, intends to keep us guessing for as long as possible.
“I’m not considering that at the moment,” Whitehead said. “It’s all about one race at a time and I don’t want to get ahead of myself.”
While Whitehead has never won the 100m, he remains untouchable in the 200m, setting a world record of 23.01sec earlier this year. Ntando Mahlangu’s time will surely come but for now the teenage South African sensation will have to be content with existing in his older rival’s shadow. The 15-year-old, who finished second to Whitehead at Rio 2016, had to settle for silver again, running 23.95sec.
There were brief fears that Mahlangu might rain on the anticipated parade. Whitehead attributed a slightly concerning start to problems with his starting block but there was no stopping him once he got into his stride. “As you come off the bend it just reignites those memories of 2012,” Whitehead said. “That whirlwind effect of pulling you to the finish line. When you’re a British athlete and you’re able to do it in your home stadium, it’s special.”
Whitehead was comfortably clear of the field as he approached the line and he crossed it in 23.26 to claim his fourth consecutive world title.
Winning is hardly a new sensation for him but it was clearly an emotional moment.
Whitehead lay flat on his back, his head in his hands and a big grin on his face, before rising to lap up the crowd’s acclaim and tease them about the prospect of running again next year.
“Everybody asks me if I’m going to race next year,” Whitehead said. “If you want me to race, then maybe I’ll do that. Do you want me to race?”
The crowd roared. Then they turned their attention to Hahn. This was turning into a big night for Britain, who topped the medal table after day two.
Whitehead was watching when Hahn burst away in blistering fashion. He tipped her to finish in 26.1sec. The 20-year-old made it in 26.11sec to become the 200m world champion for the first time. Hahn’s team-mate, Kadeena Cox, won bronze after being pipped to silver by Germany’s Lindy Ave.
“I’m absolutely delighted,” Hahn said. “To win and break a world record in front of a home crowd is just phenomenal. The world record was a complete surprise but I’ve been working really hard, so to win gold and break the world record, I’m so happy.”
Arnold, who won gold at last year’s Paralympic Games, was never going to be denied her third consecutive world title. The 23-year-old from Grimsby was delighted with her throw of 43.02m.
“That was a fantastic series for me,” she said. “I went out there to smash it and I did. It was great to get the world record. I knew that fourth throw was close but I wasn’t sure if I’d got it.”
Kinghorn broke her own world record with a time of 28.61sec.
‘Blade Stunner’ Reid takes long jump gold
When Stef Reid missed out on gold at last year’s Paralympic Games, the British long jumper said she was going to marinate in the disappointment. The stench of defeat induced no nausea. Instead Reid soaked up the juices, finding a way to turn yet another setback into a positive, and that made her cathartic winning jump at the World Para Athletics Championship taste all the sweeter yesterday morning.
A world champion at last, the self-proclaimed “Blade Stunner” refused to engage with the idea that her triumph in the T44 long jump here was diminished by the absence of France’s Marie-Amélie Le Fur, who pushed Reid into second place with a world-record leap of 5.83m in Rio.
Nor did it matter to Reid that she did not come close to beating Le Fur’s record here. This was no time to search for the negatives. The 32-year-old (pictured) earned her moment of glory.
“You always want to compete with the best because they bring out the best in you,” Reid said. “But at the same time I can’t beat an imaginary person.”
Reid has a career as a model, a degree in biochemistry and triple nationality. Born in New Zealand to British parents, she grew up in Canada, lost her right leg from the knee down after a boating accident, spent time living in Dallas, was part of the Canada team in Beijing in 2008 and switched allegiance to Britain two years later. It is some résumé – but for too long it has contained a glaring hole.
“There’s that part of your brain that thinks: ‘Gosh, I don’t want to be the silver girl for ever,’” she said. “You have all sorts of voices that go through your head. You have to address them. The reality is there’s a lot of athletes out there and not everyone gets the gold and that’s sport. It’s the person who keeps coming back and trying.”
With Le Fer not there to block her winding path to the top of the podium, this was Reid’s big opportunity and one she dared not blow. A silver medal at London 2012 left her wanting more and although she won ParalympicsGB’s first athletics medal in Rio, it was not the right colour. Falling short again would have been a sickener.
But the knowledge of her favouritism weighed heavily on Reid before the first jump. She was a bag of nerves, fearful of choking in front of a supportive home crowd. “It was not until I walked out that I felt I was at home,” she said. “I did my first run-through and the crowd went wild. I was like: ‘It’s just the warm-up, save it’ – but then they were still louder when I actually went, so it’s a huge privilege.”
The ovation relieved some of the pressure on the Briton, allowing her to loosen up and produce her best. Reid, who aims to compete at Tokyo 2020, was dominant throughout.
After beginning with a jump of 5.18m, she improved to 5.23m with her second try and looked unassailable after reaching 5.40m with her third attempt. Marlene van Gansewinkel of the Netherlands trailed in second place, making 5.29m.
However Van Gansewinkel still had a chance of gold when she stepped up for her final jump. “It’s so nerve-racking,” Reid said. “Part of you is thinking: ‘Oh, please don’t jump further than me.’”
There was no need for Reid to fret, though, as Van Gansewinkel failed to hang in the air long enough. She settled for silver, while Japan’s Maya Nakanishi pipped Australia’s Sarah Walsh to bronze.
The USA’s dazzling wheelchair racer Tatyana McFadden qualified for Sunday morning’s 1500m T54 final after winning her heat in 3min 28.31sec.
