Australian sprinter James Turner’s quest for double Paralympic gold in the French capital appeared to be in tatters with 20 metres to go in the men’s T36 100m dash — he was placed third and had given away a particularly sizeable lead to Deng Peicheng of China.
A stumble and a blistering finish rescued his dream.
As Deng staggered on the purple Stade de France track, losing a world of momentum, Turner appeared to be gaining pace.
He shot past Deng and China’s Yifei Yang, too.
Some 15 seconds after the Australian speedster’s dip for the line on Saturday, a photo finish confirmed he had snatched gold in 11.85 seconds — a time that equalled the Paralympic record.
James Turner.
Australia’s James Turner produced a stunning come-from-behind victory to win gold in the men’s T36 100m. Nine
Alexis Sebastian Chavez of Argentina captured silver in 11.88 (.871) as Yifei snared bronze in 11.88 (.877).
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Deng battled over the line in 12.00, finishing fifth.
Earlier at the Paris Games, Turner had successfully defended his Paralympic gold medal in the T36 400m. He stopped the clock at 51.54 seconds to shatter his own world record.
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“I was a bit worried there for a second,” Turner said after stealing 100m gold.
“I thought, ‘I’ve got to pull something out of my pocket’. That was it.”
Turner had already claimed 800m gold and two 400m gold medals across three Paralympic Games, but on Saturday he won his first Paralympic 100m gold medal.
In the lead-up to the Paris Games, a battle with glandular fever had left him facing “waves of exhaustion”, affected by “delirium” and struggling to walk.
“I’m not sure which one means the most [of the four Paralympic gold medals],” Turner said after his 100m win.
“They’re all special to me.
“I do my best in every single race I do, and in every single race I leave a little bit of myself out there, if not all of it.”