Weir keeps medal as protest withdrawn

By Paul Carter

A relieved David Weir will be allowed to keep the gold medal he won in yesterday’s (Saturday) T54 800m final after the Australian team requested that the result be upheld.

It marked the conclusion of another farcical 24-hours, which when added to the confusion over the women’s T54 5,000m final, has damaged the reputation of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

The race was originally ordered to be re–run after the Australians complained that the call room had used the wrong version of the start list, resulting in Kurt Fearnley racing from an incorrect lane.

Phil Lane, ParalympicsGB chef de mission, had said he was “shocked and stunned” by the jury of appeal’s decision, and said they were investigating to see if there was anything that could be done to reverse the decision.

Subsequently, in another statement released just before midnight Beijing time, ParalympicsGB confirmed that the Australian team had made the jury aware of “additional conclusive evidence”, and had written a formal letter requesting a re-run not be held.

Tim Jones, athletics team manager for ParalympicsGB, said they were thrilled by the decision.

“We also appreciate the actions of the Australian team and Kurt Fearnley in particular, and now look forward to some great racing between the two of them in their remaining events,” he said.

“We are all glad to put this unfortunate incident behind us and move on,” he added.

David Weir said he was “very happy and relieved”, and thanked those who had helped to overturn the decision.

He said: “It has been a very difficult 12 hours but I now have the gold medal that I have worked so hard for and can focus on my remaining two events.”