Wheelchair racer David Weir takes his second gold with the 1,500m

Fans are proud of Paralympic GB athlete David Weir, as he claims double gold with the 1,500m...

15:58 05 September 2012

Londoner David Weir came in first place in the wheelchair T54 1,500m event on Tuesday to the applause of 80,000 fans.

 

The victory comes after the 33-year-old gained glory in the T54 5,000m on Sunday night at the Olympic stadium, mirroring Mo Farrah’s success in the 5,000m for the Olympics.

 

Weir, whose fiancée is expecting their second child, is seen as a Paralympic hero by many, and he raced across the line in a time of 3minutes 12.09seconds.

 

Being metres clear of silver medallist Prawat Wahoram, from Thailand (who beat Weir in the 1,500m) Weir left bronze position this time to Korean Kim Gyu Dae who finished in 3minutes 12.57seconds.

 

"This is the blue riband event, the one I always dreamed of winning. Every wheelchair racer does and I’ve done it twice now so it’s a great honour," Weir told The Telegraph.

 

"It's just an amazing feeling," he added, as reported by The Mirror.

 

"I actually thought I'd gone too early on the final lap but my speed was higher than ever. I had so much energy in me."

 

The athlete, who was born with a spinal cord transection which affected his legs, has the 800m heats on Wednesday before the marathon on Sunday.

 

He told the Mail Online after his success at the weekend: “I am a championship racer. I get into the right mindset to try my best.”

 

Weir was Team GB’s only track gold-winner at the Beijing Paralympics in 2008, after coming first in both the 800m and 1500m events.