Ilford’s Abidogun thanks fans after clinching bronze

by Joshua Richards
Thursday, September 6, 2012
9:32 PM

Ola Abidogun was surprisingly unsatisfied with his performance inside the Olympic Stadium tonight, but thanked the packed British crowd for roaring him on to Paralympic bronze.

The T46 100 metres runner was slow out of the blocks and his medal chance appeared to have gone as the leaders pulled clear.

But a late burst in the final 20m saw Abidogun clock 11.23 seconds - taking third spot by 0.08 seconds.

Chinese athlete Xu Zhao won gold in 11.05 - the same mark as Abidogun’s personal best, leaving the Ilford-born sprinter pondering a higher place on the podium.

“I wouldn’t call my performance fantastic. It was average, considering my PB is a lot quicker,” he said.

“I got a poor start. Considering I’m only 19 to get a medal at all is a great achievement and I’m happy that I’ve been here.

“This is London, this is where I grew up. Despite the fact I don’t live here any more I think of it as home and the crowd as part of my family.

“The crowd spurred me on during the race. They made me feel I had what it took to win a medal.”