Daily Times

Former Paralympic champion Jonnie Peacock declared he is now “the hunter” as he questioned whether his sprint rivals can handle the pressure of Paris 2024. British poster boy Peacock is seeking to complete a hat-trick of 100m golds at the fourth Games of his glittering career after settling for joint bronze in crowd-free Tokyo following title successes at London 2012 and Rio 2016.

The 31-year-old, who runs in the T64 heats on Sunday – a day before the final, feels he is “a man amongst boys” in the French capital due to his greater experience. He has backed himself to register a season’s best time in front of tens of thousands of spectators at Stade de France, while throwing down the gauntlet to his main competitors. “A lot of people seem to forget where I am and who I’ve been,” said Peacock. “I am the only person in that race that will be contesting this gold medal for the fourth time. “I’m almost a man amongst boys here in that sense, I am the old hand.

“This is the pressure race. This is not about times, this not about how fast people have run all year.

“This is about, can you handle it? Can you handle everyone looking at you? Can you handle a stadium full of people screaming and then doing the job that matters?

“This is the big one and this is the pressure cooker. I’m not the hunted any more, I am the hunter.”

Following an exhilarating four-man photo finish in Japan, there was nothing to split Peacock and Johannes Floors, while gold went to Germany’s Felix Streng ahead of Costa Rican silver medallist Sherman Guity.

The Briton predicts a similarly intense battle in Saint-Denis and believes the bulk of expectation falls on the shoulders of reigning champion Streng and Italian Maxcel Amo Manu, the world number one.