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Nothing Partial About Prendergast
Wellington based partially sighted 800m runner Tim Prendergast today won gold in the T13 800m in a performance described by observers as "immaculate".
After a slow first lap the Lifting up the World with a Oneness-Heart award recipient kicked to open a 5m lead at the bell, a lead he then increased to 8m before cruising across the finish line with a time of 1.56.23.
A silver medalist in Sydney, the winning performance was consolation for the 1500m final earlier in the week, where following losing a shoe whilst qualifying second he over-compensated by attempting to set a front-running world-record pace, only to finish fourth and be carried from the track on a stretcher.
It was a different story in the 800m however, where Prendergast's front-running tactics paid spectacular dividends, a strategy he intended to ensure his opponents did all of the work trying to catch him.
“I kicked again down the back straight because I wanted them to have to work to catch me. I thought it would be harder for them to run me down compared with staying in front. I knew I was in the best condition of my life, that was why I was confident to lead in that way."
