Running the 100-meter sprints is Marlon Shirley’s specialty. He proved he isn’t that bad in the 200-meters either, winning the 200-meter amputee men’s final Thursday at the International Association of Athletics Federations World Championships in Saint Denis, France.

Shirley, who is the only amputee to break the 11- second barrier in the 100-meters with a time of 10.97 seconds, beat seven of the fastest below the knee amputee in the world to capture a gold medal with a time of 22.93 seconds.

"I came off the corner with some speed and no one could catch me," said Shirley, whose prosthetics are made by Scott Sabolich Prosthetic & Research Center in Oklahoma City. "It was an outstanding race. I beat everybody by over 10 meters."

The nearest competitor was American Danny Andrews, who finished second at 23.60. Oklahoma City resident Roderick Green finished sixth at 24.96.

Some of the best track and field athletes in the world and future Olympians are participating in the two-week event. But the amputee race this year was the first such race organized in the IAAF World Championships.

Although Shirley was excited to win the first race in the event, he didn’t reach the goal he had set before the race.

"I had an excellent start, but I didn’t finish the way I wanted to," he said. "When I crossed the finish line I was disappointed that I didn’t set a world record."

The world record in the 200-meters is 22.71. The 25-year-old said his goal is to eventually run in the low 21 seconds and get closer to times of the top able-bodied runners. The winners of the 200- meter qualifying heats in the able-bodied races at the World Championships have been finishing with times in the low 20.20 seconds.

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