Oscar Pistorius kept his Paralympic triple sprint dream alive yesterday, winning the 100m on the line in a dramatic race at the packed Bird's Nest.

The South Africandubbed "Blade Runner" after the carbon fiber blades he wears, was slow out of the blocks and trailed badly a third into the race, but picked up steam and finished first in 11.17sec, edging out America's Jerome Singleton by 0.03sec.

Oscar Pistorious of South Africa edges out Jerome Singleton (left) of the US over the finish line to win the final of the men's 100m T44 classification race at Bird's Nest yesterday. [Agencies] Photos: J-shaped blades Oscar Pistorius

Brian Frasure of the United States took the bronze but the much-anticipated showdown with Marlon Shirley failed to materialize after the American collapsed two-thirds into the race.

"It's unbelievable. The 100m was something I was definitely a bit worried about," said Pistorius, adding that he had had to fight hard after his slow start on the wet track.

"After the first 30m, I thought, 'well, the first 30 is done, it's behind me, I've messed it up and now I can focus on the rest of the race'," he said.

"I picked up the pace and was able to get in there at the end ... It's a dream come true," said Pistorius, who now turns his attention to the 200m and 400m.

Singleton said: "I thought I'd won but he came out of nowhere. He's a great athlete."

When asked if he would better Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt's two individual gold at last month's Olympics, Pistorius said: "I didn't run in the style that he did tonight; but I'm hoping that in the next two races that I'm able to get another two gold, and after tonight I'm a lot more confident."

The 21-year-old is the world record holder in his category in all three events.

Pistorius won a court battle to compete at the Olympics after proving himself a strong competitor in able-bodied competition.

He eventually failed to qualify for the Beijing Olympics, blaming in part the distraction of his court battle, but he is targeting the London 2012 Games. Among his best achievements against able-bodied athletes was a second in the 400m event at the 2007 South African national championships.

"I watched many (Beijing) Olympic competitions. At the beginning, I felr disappointed because I missed it. Each athlete sacrificed a lot to play in the Olympics and I just want to have that kind of experience.

"I intend to try for the London Olympics and to compete with able-bodied people. I've missed the Beijing Olympics, so I have to train really hard for the next time," he said.

China Daily-Agencies