Illness will not deter Weir for rest of the season

By Nick Clowes, Sportsbeat, in Manchester

ILLNESS curtailed David Weir's BT Paralympic World Cup campaign last week but the double Beijing 2008 gold medallist insists he will be fighting fit for January's World IPC Championships in New Zealand.

STAYING CALM: David Weir was struck down by illness at the BT Paralympic World Cup but the double Beijing 2008 gold medallist is unconcerned about the rest of the season (Action Images)

The 30-year-old from was aiming to collect the 800m and 1500m double at the Manchester Regional Arena in a bid to bounce back from his London Marathon heartache.

Weir suffered a puncture on the unforgiving London streets last month but this time a flu virus struck and he was forced to settle for a solitary silver behind Switzerland's Marcus Hug in the 800m.

But he had put his London Marathon disappointment behind him by winning double gold at the Knowsley Disability Athletics Challenge in Liverpool - his first track event of the year - last weekend.

And with the World Championships in New Zealand on the horizon in early 2011, Weir admits his below-par showing in Manchester will not ruin his track season.

"This is the first time I've felt flat to be honest this year but I'll take a few days off now, get better and then start building up again," added Weir.

"I've been pretty pleased with the year so far. The marathon was a bit of a disappointment - I felt good going into that.

"My track season always seems to start slow but at least I know it wasn't the real me here. I've definitely got more to come.

"It's not as if I don't know what the problem is. I had the doctor check me over and I've got a temperature so I've picked up some sort of virus which I didn't realise until I got to Manchester.

"It's just one of those things. This is the first illness I've had all year which is pretty good for me."