[3], Whitehead was unable to compete in the marathon at London 2012 as there was no category for leg amputees, and was refused permission by the IPC to compete against upper-body amputees and so had to turn to sprinting to compete at the 2012 Paralympics, where he won the gold medal in the 200m T42 Athletics event with a world record time of 24.38 seconds.[4][5]. But that, broadly, is what Richard Whitehead has done in the world of disability sport. Richard won Gold in the London 2012 Paralympic Games in the T42 200m with an astonishing race. They need to accept responsibility on and off the track and appreciate that they can inspire people if they want to. "I broke the world record at the test event in London and that was the start of the cycle and the Paralympic Games in September is the end," he says. The battle goes on for Jimmy Greaves' gong: 357 goals in English top-flight but still no MBE - Sportsmail... 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'This is a really bad move by the Premier League!' ... to Richard in the 2011 World Championship 200m final and will be looking for revenge at London 2012. This includes not only disabled athletes, but able-bodied ones too – anyone who may want to get out there and run. I was so disappointed that I couldn’t run the marathon in London 2012. Whitehead used to be a sports development officer for Nottingham City Council but is now a full-time athlete. By then of course everyone will know about Oscar Pistorius, who will compete in the Olympics and the Paralympics at London 2012. The marathon inspires hundreds and thousands of people at every event. When I was in marathon training I’d probably have two pasta based meals a day; I have two a week now. I'm absolutely delighted with a bronze medal, I am really struggling for words. "And hopefully the UK will see the real impact the Paralympics can have on the society. He is a former ice sledge hockey player, and competed for the GB team at the 2006 Winter Paralympics in Turin. Richard was refused entry to the London 2012 marathon as there wasn't a leg amputee category, and was later unable to compete against upper-body athletes by the IPC. But Whitehead, who was born without the lower halves of his legs and runs with two prosthetic limbs, has wider hopes for London 2012 than gold medals and world records – he believes it will inspire people to achieve whatever they put their mind to. People always ask me if the blades are springy - they’re not. The 200m gave me an option and a platform for success and I’ve embraced it. "I'm not letting that deter me. I’ve switched from carb-heavy meals to protein-heavy meals – so lots of red meat, including steak, lamb and chicken – which is great. Legacy: Whitehead hopes to make a positive impact on future generations. His team of 24.93sec beat his personal best and world record by 0.5sec. There’s a huge difference between training for the marathon and for the 200m. Imagine if Haile Gebrselassie, having broken the world marathon record, suddenly switched to the 200m – and ended up beating Usain Bolt. Whitehead will next be competing in an event at Stoke Manderville on 30 and 31 July and then the Diamond League meeting at Crystal Palace on 5 and 6 August. The running blades I run on now are the same ones I ran the marathon in 5:19 on back in 2004. Here’s what to know, Prepare to be inspired by the long distance runner turned sprinter, This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. Whitehead, who runs on prosthetic carbon fibre legs, said that result spurred him on and he came away with an action plan working towards 2012. I have also achieved 4 x World Championship titles in 200m . The last few miles of the London marathon make all the training worthwhile. Richard Whitehead MBE (born 19 July 1976) is a British athlete. We had to go back to basics to train me a sprinter. In 2011, when he learned that the International Paralympic Committee wouldn't allow him to run the Paralympic marathon in London he switched his focus to the 200m. The 36-year-old, who has completed 24 marathons since 2004, turned to the sprints after being denied the chance to race over the longest distance on the streets of London. Available for everyone, funded by readers. Less than a year later in Chicago he lowered it to 2hr 42min 52sec. Then came a career conundrum. Fanciful? Whitehead's London 2012 goal was to leave a legacy, saying just to go after another record and a gold medal would be 'missing the whole ticket about the Games'. He began the transition from endurance to track with his first season on the international circuit in 2010. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Sprint king: Whitehead set a new record over 200m at the Olympic Stadium. He receives funding from UK Athletics and corporate sponsors.

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