Jerome Singleton of the United States competes in the Men's 100m T44 heats at the London Paralympics
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Singleton leads the field in the Men's 200m - T44 heats at the London 2012 Paralympic Games
© • Getty Images
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After becoming the first man to beat South African Oscar Pistorius in seven years over 100m to win the 2011 world title, Singleton will probably be disappointed to have left London 2012 with no medals.
In the 100m he finished sixth, took fifth in the 200m, whilst in the 4x100m T42-46 USA were disqualified.
Looking at the history books though, Singleton’s lack of success in London is only likely to spur him on to greater things, especially with him looking to defend his world title in Lyon, France.
Singleton broke onto the scene in Beijing in 2008 when Pistorius beat him to gold by just 0.03 seconds.
In the build-up to the 2011 World Championships, the American likened his rivalry with Pistorius to that between legendary boxers Mohammed Ali and Joe Frazier. Pistorius replied by describing running against Singleton as a "scary experience."
The final in Christchurch, New Zealand was a truly historic and epic encounter. For the first time ever all seven finishers were under 12 seconds and the top four finishers – Jerome Singleton (11.34), Oscar Pistorius (11.34), Alan Oliveira (11.43) and Arnu Fourie (11.43) - were separated by just 0.09 seconds.
Singleton is one of the cleverest Paralympians around having graduated in December 2010 with a triple major in mathematics, physics and industrial engineering.
In 2005 he worked as an intern at the NASA Gleen Research Centre, where he worked on the oil-free turbomachinery project that would be implemented in aiding the Mars Landing. He also helped work on a Stereo Imaging Vescroscopy system that was being used for the early detection of cataracts.
The year prior to the Beijing 2008 Paralympics, saw him spend time in Geneva, Switzerland, carrying out research in the field of high energy particle physics through Yale University.
Ahead of Lyon 2013 Singleton will be looking to find the perfect formula for him to retain his 100m world crown, but he faces stiff competition in what is fast becoming one of the most talked about and most competitive races in world sport.
