Winner Weir’s Tanni tribute as he crosses line

BRITAIN’S David Weir yesterday hailed the influence of Tanni Grey-Thompson after equalling her record of six Virgin London Marathon wheelchair titles.

Weir won a sprint finish on The Mall to clock a time of one hour 32 minutes 26 seconds and finish just a second ahead of Switzerland’s Marcel Hug.

And Shelly Woods made it a British double with a time of 1hr 49mins 10secs, decimating the strong women’s field to win her second title by almost four minutes ahead from Japan’s Wakako Tsuchida.

“It is great privilege to be up there with Tanni,” Weir said. “She is great role model and was the one who got me back into the sport when I had a little dip.

“I wasn’t enjoying the sport but watching her in Sydney (2000 Olympics) brought me back so it is great to equal her record. I was emotional when I crossed the line because it could be my last one for a while. I haven’t decided what I’m going to do after the Olympics.”