Three times a champion: Wheelchair racer David Weir powers to his third gold medal of London 2012 in the 800m... and sets his sights on winning a fourth in the marathon

British wheelchair racer David Weir won his third gold medal of the London 2012 Paralympics tonight by powering to victory in the 800m final.

The 33-year-old, from Sutton, South London, was cheered on by 80,000 spectators inside the Olympic Stadium as he finished ahead of his rivals in a time of just under one minute and 38 seconds.
Weir started the race well and was in second place until 200m from the end, before producing a tremendous effort in the closing stages to win the event.

Champion: Wheelchair racer David Weir clinches victory in the 800m final to win his third gold medal at the London 2012 Paralympics

The victory means that Weir is three-quarters of the way to reaching his target of four gold medals at these Games.

He has already won the 1,500m and 5,000m finals and is due to compete in the marathon on Sunday.
Weir, nicknamed 'the Weirwolf of London', now holds five Paralympic gold medals. He won two titles on the track in Beijing four years ago.
The father of two, who has 'winner' tattooed on his arm in Japanese, has been unable to use his legs since birth and suffered a spine injury that left him walking with calipers.

He first competed in the Atlanta Paralympics in 1996 as a teenager, but abandoned sport soon afterwards after being disillusioned by the empty stadiums at that Games.

Weir, nicknamed 'the Weirwolf of London', now holds five Paralympic gold medals. He won two titles on the track in Beijing four years ago

He returned in 2004 after being inspired by watching Tanni-Grey Thompson at the Sydney Paralympics.

If Weir wins Sunday's marathon for a fourth gold he will match the achievement of cyclist Sarah Storey, who today completed a clean sweep of her London 2012 events.

Storey stormed to victory in the women's cycling road race at Brands Hatch to claim her fourth Paralympic gold medal of the Games and her 11th overall.

She had already won the women's C5 road cycling time trial at the famous racing circuit, as well as the 500m time trial and the individual pursuit in the velodrome.

Winning feeling: David Weir qualified for the 800m final by finishing first in his heat

The victory means that Weir is three-quarters of the way to reaching his target of four gold medals at these Games