Jonnie Peacock, paralympic sprinter

PARALYMPIC hopeful Jonnie Peacock has sent an emphatic message to the London 2012 selectors by smashing his personal bests in a sensational return to sprinting.

Jonnie Peacock, paralympic sprinter

The 18-year-old from Doddington, who was sidelined for three months with an ankle injury, marked his return to the track with a lifetime best in the T44 100m at Stoke Mandeville Disability Athletics Challenge.

Peacock clocked 11.47secs - around six tenths of a second off Oscar Pistorius’ world record - before finishing second in the T44 200m with a time of 24.01.

The British prospect, who had his right leg amputated when he was five, continued his spectacular comeback at the weekend by clocking 23.76secs to win the T42/44 200m at the Aviva London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace.

“It’s a huge relief to be back on the track,” said Peacock. “I spent a lot of time in the gym and on the bike but I just wanted to get sprinting again. Once you come back and see the results you know that it’s all worth it.

Jonnie Peacock, paralympic sprinter

“I want to show everyone that I’ve still got it - in fact I’ve got even more.”

Peacock finished sixth in the World Championships in New Zealand in January. He is moving to London next week so that he is closer to his training base at Lea Valley.

“I’m really going to focus on my training for the next year,” he said. “When London comes I want to be ready for it.

“I want to make a big impact and just talking about the Olympics gives me goosebumps.

“I try not to think about it too much because I’ve got to take each training session as it comes but, with every race, selection for London becomes more possible.”

Peacock, who completes nine training sessions a week, will travel to Milan for another race next month.

“Only a handful of people get the chance to compete at a home Games,” he said. “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and I’m going to do everything I can to take it.

“The Games are going to mean success or failure for a lot of people. Hopefully for me it will be success.

“I have to make athletics my life at the moment.”