10 Sporting Heroes Who Ruled 2012

3. David Weir

"Obviously I dreamt about winning all my races but it was going to be a tough order. I really had to dig deep. I did have lots of dreams of winning four gold medals but I think everybody has those dreams. I knew I was capable of doing it." Paralympians are special athletes, as I have already mentioned: they are not as well known as the stars of the Premier League or NFL, but they have overcome their disability and achieved major sporting success for themselves and the nations they represent. And whilst all athletes performing at the Paralympics deserve much admiration, one cannot ignore the tremendous accomplishments of the 'Weir-wolf', David Weir. Born unable to use his legs, Weir has been an athlete all his life, winning the London Marathon for wheelchair-bound participants six times since 2002, most recently being this year. However, his most notable moments of the year came at the Paralympics, where he was able to win a remarkable four gold medals in some of the most physically demanding events of the games. Weir has arms the size of most people's legs, and the power of his arms alone were able to push him towards victory in the T54 categories of the 800 metres, 1500 metres, 5000 metres and Marathon. Weir covered a distance of 35.3 miles in ten days of competing, which was a herculean effort deserving of much respect on its own, let alone the fact that he was able to win a haul of gold for Paralympics GB. I like to think that awarding this third place to Weir is more than just a recognition of his superb year, but the great performances of all Paralympians this year, in a genuine hope that in the future it receives as much fanfare and viewership and the Olympics itself. Standout Moment of 2012: Winning gold in the Marathon T54 at the Paralympics in 1:30:20.