Athletics: Pistorius aiming for Commonwealth Games after World Cup triumph

The South African, known as "Blade Runner" and "the fastest man with no legs" due to his carbon fibre running prosthestics, clocked 48.83 seconds in winning the T44 400metres at the BT Paralympic World Cup.

His time at the Manchester Regional Arena was over a second down on his world record of 47.49sec and adrift of his personal best – set in able-bodied competition – of 46.25sec but revived hopes Pistorius could compete in both the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012 after two years of disruption.

And the 23-year-old hopes to compete at the Commonwealth Games and may even opt out of the IPC Athletics World Championships in New Zealand next January in preference for India.

"Physically I think I'm in the shape to do it (the Commonwealth Games)," said Pistorius, who was born without fibulas in his legs and had the limbs amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old. "I've got to bring my time down by just under a second for this season, so it's quite a tall order."

The opening day of the sixth edition of the BT Paralympic World Cup attracted a 5,500 crowd – a record crowd for a British disability sports event.

Pistorius' first event was the T44 100m, which he won in 11.33 ahead of Britons Ian Jones and Jonnie Peacock, who finished third and fifth, respectively.

Britain's two-time Paralympic champion David Weir was beaten into second in the T54 800m before finishing fifth in the 1500m. Daniel Greaves, who was born with deformed feet, triumphed in the F42/44 discus and Stephen Miller, who has cerebral palsy, was victorious in the F32/51 club.

Seven-a-side football for athletes with cerebral palsy makes its BT Paralympic World Cup debut today, while wheelchair basketball begins tomorrow and swimming completes the event next Monday.