Brent Lakatos wins gold in 100m at IPC world championships
Gold 'is what I came for,' says wheelchair racer
Canadian wheelchair racer Brent Lakatos fulfilled expectations Thursday when he won a gold medal in the men's T53 100 metres at the IPC world championships in Doha, Qatar.
Lakatos, already the world record holder in the 100m, set a new championship record time of 14.38, beating his own record, set in 2013, of 14.51.
"I'm ecstatic with that time," Lakatos said after the race. "It was a gold medal, and that's what I came for, but to have a time like that is just amazing. I hope the championships bring more times like that."
There goes <a href="https://twitter.com/BrentLak">@BrentLak</a> with GOLD already in the men's T53 100m! Already looking great at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Doha2015?src=hash">#Doha2015</a> for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamCanada?src=hash">#TeamCanada</a> <a href="https://t.co/MzsrdQwFkc">pic.twitter.com/MzsrdQwFkc</a>
—@CDNParalympicsLakatos' competitors seemed almost resigned to the fact they wouldn't win gold, considering the strangle hold he has in the sprint events.
"The Canadian is too strong for us," said bronze medalist Pierre Fairbank of France. "This is my first race so it is good to begin with a medal."
Lakatos, who was paralyzed at the age of six after a freak skating accident, was a three-time silver medallist at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, and a three-time gold medallist at the 2013 world championships in the 100, 200 and 400 metres.
His next event is the T53 200m on Sunday.