Bronze medalist Arnu Fourie of South Africa, Gold medalist Jonnie Peacock of Great Britain, silver medalist Richard Browne of the United States cross the line in the Men's 100m T44 Final a the London 2012 Paralympic Games
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Silver medalist Richard Browne of the United States , Gold medalist Jonnie Peacock of Great Britain, Bronze medalist Arnu Fourie of South Africa pose on the podium during the victory ceremony for the Men's 100m - T44 Final at the London 2012 Paralympic Games
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Very few people had heard of American sprinter Richard Browne until London 2012 when he came out of nowhere to claim silver in the 100m T44 behind Great Britain’s Jonnie Peacock.
Many had tipped the event in the Olympic Stadium to be a straight race between world-record holder Peacock, defending champion Oscar Pistorius and Browne’s teammates Blake Leeper and world champion Jerome Singleton.
Even after qualifying for the final in the fourth fastest time, few predicted Browne would be a medal contender.
How very wrong they were.
Browne pushed Peacock all the way to the finish line, and in doing so claimed silver in a personal best time of 11.03 seconds.
Just two years older than the British gold medallist, Browne’s rivalry with Peacock could be a highlight of the Paralympic Movement for years to come should both athletes maintain their form.
Should he perform well again at the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships in Lyon, France, then at Rio 2016 he could become USA’s first 100m T44 Paralympic champion since 2004.
