South African runner, more commonly known as the ‘Blade Runner’, Oscar Pistorius, was made to fight hard for his T44 100m title as he was pushed all the way by Britain’s Ian Jones. But there was little doubt in the T44 400m, which he won in emphatic style, finishing a full four seconds ahead of Jones.

Pistorius had been in a buoyant mood prior to the BT Paralympic World Cup, as he joked with media and local school children, but he was nothing but serious when it came to the track as he was determined to show Manchester the form he was in.

“All credit to Ian, he pushed me all the way in the 100m but I knew I was in good shape,” said Pistorius.

“I knew it would be a tough competition today but the support in the crowd was phenomenal. On the last straight I was able to pick up the crowd noise and it really pushed me on.

“I felt great today, the BT Paralympic World Cup has once again been great event and this year more than ever the crowd were phenomenal.”

Jones said: “I love the BT Paralympic World Cup. There are a lot of fans out there today which is really great and gives me a big lift. He may have had the races today but I definitely had more fans than Oscar.”

And for once it wasn’t Pistorius who was setting records, but the crowd who were watching him, as the BT Paralympic World Cup recorded the largest ever audience for a live disability Athletics event in the UK, with 5,500 spectators piling into the Manchester Regional Arena.

Meanwhile Pistorius’ track triumphs were also matched by Irish sprinter Jason Smythe who stormed to victory in both the T11-13 100m and 200m. Smythe, who trains with the second fastest man in history, Tyson Gay, arrived in Manchester in scintillating form having already set the track on fire in Florida.

“He (Tyson) has been supportive and helping me out all year to be honest. It’s been great,” said Smythe.

“The day was very good there was some big competition and the support of the crowd was amazing, as usual Manchester did a great job.”

Pistorius and Smyth’s victories were just two of the contributing factors to a successful day for both the Rest of the World team. The South African’s compatriot Fanie Van Der Marwe also did a golden double with the T36/37/38 100m and 200m.

This year’s BT Paralympic World Cup sees a new Team format being used for the first time, which will unify the four sports and have four teams battling it out to win the BT Paralympic World Cup Trophy, which is due to be presented on Monday after the swimming.

The athletics was won by Rest of the World, with Europe in second place, while Great Britain finished ahead of the Americas, in third.

Britain managed four wins throughout the afternoon’s schedule, courtesy of Libby Clegg (T11/12 100m), Stephen Miller (F32/51 club), Dan Greaves (F42/44 discus) and Tracy Hinton (T11/12 200m) while the America’s only managed two, both through Tatyana McFadden.

McFadden won the T53/54 800m and the 1500m, the latter of which was a thrilling race which Britain’s Shelly Woods led until the final 200m, when McFadden reached for fifth gear and hit the front of the pack before leaving the rest of the field behind her in the home straight.

The BT Paralympic World Cup Team Trophy standings, after Day One:
ROW 40
EUR 30
GB 20
AME 10

Day two will see the start of the Football 7-a-side competition, with GB taking on the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands and USA.

Wheelchair Basketball will take place from 27-30 May, with the BBC, the official televised partner to the event, broadcasting live from the Manchester Aquatics Centre on Monday 31 May on BBC Television.

Tickets for the BT Paralympic World Cup are now on sale and can be purchased via the event website: www.btparalympicworldcup.com or by calling 0844 8471622. Tickets are priced at £6 per session.

BT is the title sponsor of the Paralympic World Cup; the sponsorship runs up to and includes the 2012 BT Paralympic World Cup.

The BT Paralympic World Cup is sanctioned by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Cerebral Palsy International Sports & Recreation Association (CPISRA) and the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) and supported by BT, ParalympicsGB, the FA, Manchester City Council and the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA).

The event schedule will see Athletics on 25 May, Football 7-a-side on 26-29 May and Wheelchair Basketball on 27-30 May, all at the Manchester Regional Arena and Swimming at the Manchester Aquatics Centre on 31 May.

Follow the BT Paralympic World Cup on Twitter: www.twitter.com/BTPWC