Weir, who currently holds the British record at all track distances up to 5,000 metres, was dominating this year’s men’s wheelchair London Marathon until he picked up two punctured tyres in the last five kilometres which allowed Canada’s Cassidy to pass him for the win.

Despite his two flat tyres, the Londoner battled onto claim third spot in the Marathon and then returned to winning ways by claiming a comfortable victory at the Great Manchester Run yesterday.

Weir is now focussed on defending his 800 and 1500 metre BT Paralympic World Cup titles in the same two events that saw him claim gold at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics but admitted that he expects Cassidy to push him in the way in his pursuit for gold.

Weir said: "I know that there is a really strong field at BT Paralympic World Cup this year but I think Josh will definitely be my biggest threat.

"He will be coming into the event feeling really confident after winning in London for the first time and I’ll have to be at the very top of my game to beat him."

Weir though, admitted that he is feels like he is now back to his best for the first time since the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

He said: "I definitely feel like I am close to my top form right now.

"It was a great confidence boost for me to win the Manchester Great Run at the weekend and it was only really the two punctures that stopped me winning the London Marathon so I’m really positive about competing at BT Paralympic World Cup next week.

"For me, it is one of the biggest events on the calendar as it gets so much publicity and is so well supported.

"The event is a great opportunity for me to race against the best in the world in my own country and in front of a home crowd.

"I really get a real buzz out of that and I hope I can defend the two titles I won last year."

Weir admitted that at 31-years-old, he must pace himself in order to ensure that he is in peak condition for the London 2012 Paralympics and stated that he had made the tough decision to pull out of the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games largely because of a hectic schedule.

Weir said: "I’m not 25-years-old anymore so I have to manage my schedule far more carefully than I did in the past.

"It was a tough decision to pull out of the Commonwealth Games but with all of the security fears over Delhi and the IPC Athletics World Championships set to take place in January next year [in Christchurch in New Zealand], I feel I have made the right decision.

"I will be competing in Liverpool this weekend on a fast track to try and secure qualification for the 2011 World Championships and then I will be heading straight to Manchester for the BT Paralympic World Cup. 

"London 2012 is always in the back of my mind so all the events I compete in right now are building towards that and the BT Paralympic World is definitely a major part of my preparations for the Games."

The BT Paralympic World Cup athletics will be held on May 25 at the Manchester Regional Arena and tickets for all the events can be purchased by clicking here or by calling 0844 8471622.

Tickets for the world’s largest annual multi-sport elite disability event are priced at £6 per session.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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