Clash of the Titans Showdown Set for Manchester

Manchester, Great Britain is bracing itself for a ‘Clash of the Titans’ this Friday (27 May) as two of the world’s fastest sprinters go head-to-head over 100m and 400m at the BT Paralympic World Cup.

Over the two distances South Africa’s ‘Blade Runner’ Oscar Pistorius, 24, the World record holder over 100m, 200m and 400m, will face relative newcomer Alan Fonteles, an 18-year-old Brazilian who made a huge impact on the world scene earlier this year.

At January’s IPC Athletics World Championships in Christchurch, New Zealand, Fonteles took bronze in the Men’s 100m T44 and was just 0.09 seconds behind silver medalist Pistorius. In a stunning race, which saw all seven finishers clock under 12 seconds for the first time in history, Pistorius lost a race for the first time in seven years to the USA’s Jerome Singleton, who is not competing in Manchester.

Friday’s races at the Manchester Regional Arena will be the first time Pistorius and Fonteles have met since January and the Brazilian National Paralympic Committee are confident their man has a chance over the shorter sprint.

"In the 400m it’s very difficult to overcome Pistorius, but in the 100m Alan has a real good chance," said Ciro Winckler, co-ordinator of Brazilian Athletics.

The BT Paralympic World Cup is an annual international multi-sport competition in elite disability sport. BT is entering its third year as title sponsor, in a sponsorship which runs up to and includes the 2012 BT Paralympic World Cup.

Manchester has committed for the seventh consecutive year to hosting elite international athletes competing across Wheelchair Basketball, Athletics and Swimming. In addition, Boccia and Sitting Volleyball will be represented for the first time, with international matches staged during the competition.