A British teenager who lost his leg after contracting meningitis as a boy became a Paralympic hero tonight as he won gold at London 2012.

Jonnie Peacock, 19, won his eagerly-awaited sprint final against fellow blade runner Oscar Pistorius to become the 100m champion in a Paralympic record time of 10.90secs.

The success for Peacock, from Shepreth, Cambridgeshire, which was eagerly watched by a record 6.3 million viewers, was all the sweeter given his remarkable recovery from a condition which almost killed him 14 years ago.