he track and field competitions at the London Olympic Stadium which, until September 9, will see a line-up of 1,100 athletes and 170 gold medals. The athletes, competing in a wheelchair, with prostheses or led by a seeing partner, are grouped into classes depending on the impact of their disability on performance. The classes are numbered with two digits: the first specifies the nature of the athlete's disability; the second indicates the extent of the athlete's functional abilities; the lower the second digit, the greater the impact on the ability to compete. Part of the Paralympic Games since Rome 1960, track and field has given rise to some of the icons of the Paralympic movement, legendary figures such as Louise Sauvage and Tanni Grey-Thompson. Today all eyes will be on Oscar Pistorius, first sprinter to participate in the Olympic Games, who will be defending the Paralympic titles won in Beijing 2008: 100m, 200m and 400m in the T44 category. The 100m T44 final, scheduled on Thursday, September 6, is one of the most eagerly awaited events of the whole Paralympic Games. Everybody is expecting a challenge between the South African champion and the nineteen year-old British athlete Jonnie Peacock, who set a new world record in June of this year, running in 10”85.