ContinueJonnie Peacock lost his lower right leg aged five after contracting meningococcal septicaemia. Fourteen years later he is given a standing ovation by 80,000 people packed inside the London Olympic Stadium after becoming the 100 metre champion. Moments earlier they were chanting his name. This morning he has made virtually all of the front pages.
A few minutes before Peacock's glorious dash of destiny, David Weir achieved his hat-trick of gold medals with a glorious home straight sprint in the 800 metres, again to a cacophony of noise from the largest crowd ever amassed to watch Paralympic sport. There were people in the crowd wearing Weir Wolf masks. The howl of the champion is pushing Mo Farah's "Mobot" as the craze of the summer.
Throw in the wonderful Ellie Simmonds, the wonderful Sarah Storey (now the most successful British Paralympian of all time), the wonderful Hannah Cockroft, and indeed the wonderful Team GB, and we have a moment in time that far exceeds sport.
Never again will disabled sport, or indeed disabled people be viewed in the same light. The likes of Peacock and Weir are great sportsmen, full stop. They deserve parity with able-bodied stars, as I am sure the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year show will prove in December. But they are more than great sportsmen and women. They are great human beings. Imagine how you would feel losing your legs, your arms, your sight? It would be the end of the world, wouldn't it? Then you see the Paralympians in action. You think about their journey, and you think about the outcome over the past week in London. No matter how bad your hand is you can still play cards.
Our Paralympians are an inspiration to us all and my greatest hope stemming from a wonderful Paralympic Games is that their legacy continues to provide great Paralympic sporting moments, and improves the lives of anyone afflicted with disability. Sport is life, and this would be the greatest result of all.
