World Para Athletics Championships gold for Peacock

Peacock silenced the crowd before storming to Paralympic gold five years ago and the amputee sprinter retained his title in Rio last September.

And now the 24-year-old from Cambridgeshire has regained the world title he last won in Lyon in 2013 with an emphatic victory in front of over 30,000 spectators at the London Stadium for Great Britain's eighth gold of the championships.

Yet Peacock had to fight off cramp in his calf, biceps and hamstring between the warm-up track and the start line before sprinting to the hosts' second gold of the day, after his room-mate Aled Davies' triumph in the F42 discus.

"I had seriously bad cramp," Peacock said.

"I've felt this before. My hamstring has gone like this in races before. I was feeling cramp everywhere.

"I didn't want to push too hard out of the blocks. I knew if I did that I had a chance of aggravating it.

"Genuine fear that I thought something was going to go. I'm thankful I finished the race.

"I can't take away anything more than a gold medal. I'm just so glad that I got that.

"I came here to try to get the matching set. That's what I've got."

Peacock was food shopping in Marks and Spencer at the nearby Westfield shopping centre earlier on Sunday, relaxing ahead of his qualification heat.

He qualified quickest for the T44 100m final in 10.64 seconds, 0.03secs outside the world record set by Richard Browne of the United States in winning the 2015 world title.

The priority for Peacock was the title, not the time, and he delivered on the big occasion once more, despite the cramp.

Peacock clocked 10.75s, with double amputee Johannes Floors of Germany second in 10.89 and Jarryd Wallace of the United States third in 10.95.

Despite worrying he would not be able to complete the race, Peacock had no intention of not starting.

He added: "Even if I was cramping, I was still going to stand there and at least give it a go.

"I wasn't going to back out. I said to myself even if it goes I'm going to keep pushing and I'm not going to care if I finish sixth.

"The roar definitely helps you. The adrenaline flows and maybe that had something to do with the fact that it didn't go."

His personal best and European record in the heat came as he was slowing down and looking to his right before crossing the line.

With hindsight, Peacock wished he had run through.

He said: "It was there for the taking if I had held upright a little bit more.

"It's the cherry on top, but I came here for the world title and I'm just so thankful that I finished the race in one piece and managed to cross the line first."

Peacock later revealed his season was likely over and he would be taking a step back from competition in 2018.

"I just need a mental break," he said.

Davies, F42 discus champion at London 2012 and F42 shot gold medallist in Rio, earlier claimed his fifth world title.

Davies, whose impairment affects his right leg, won a third straight discus world title with a best throw of 51.54m.

Maria Lyle claimed bronze in the T35 200m behind Isis Holt of Australia. The hosts now have 15 medals at the top of the standings.

Ireland won two gold medals in quick succession.

Five-time Paralympic champion Jason Smyth claimed his fourth world title with victory in the T13 100m, for partially sighted athletes, in 10.63.

Michael McKillop, a four-time Paralympic gold medallist with cerebral palsy, claimed a fifth world title with victory in the T38 800m in 2:00.92.