BEIJING (AP):

Oscar Pistorius began his bid to win three gold medals in the Beijing Paralympics, clocking the fastest time yesterday in heats of the 100 metres.

The South African, who failed in an attempt to qualify for the Beijing Olympics, ran a personal-best time of 11.16 seconds in the sprint. The next best times went to three Americans: Jerome Singleton (11.48), Brian Frasure (11.49) and Marlon Shirley (11.77).

Pistorius will also run the 200m and 400m, hoping to better his performance four years ago in the Athens Paralympics where he won a gold and bronze.

The double amputee, known as the 'Blade Runner' because of the prosthetic legs he races on, won a legal battle in May for the right to run in the Olympics. However, subsequently, he failed to meet the qualifying time standard.

Medals won

Forty-one medals were awarded yesterday, the second day of the Paralympics. China lead with 28 medals overall - eight gold. The United States also have eight gold medals and 17 overall.

South African swimmer Natalie Du Toit won her second gold in two days, winning the 100 freestyle after taking the 100 butterfly on Sunday. She's attempting to win five gold medals in Beijing.

The United States took three of the 18 golds in swimming to lead that tally. The medals went to Jessica Long, Erin Popovich and Anna Eames.

The 10 gold medals yesterday in track and field were scattered around with China taking two to top that tally. Cuba, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Latvia, Algeria, Denmark, Canada and the Netherlands each took a gold medal. Medals awarded in other events included track cycling (five), equestrian (two), judo (four) and shooting (two).

One of the longest winning streaks in sports stayed in place as The Netherlands' Esther Vergeer defeated Daniela Di Toro 6-2, 6-0 to extend her string to 345 consecutive victories in a first-round match in wheelchair tennis.

The 27-year-old Vergeer has won four gold medals in the last two Paralympic Games - in singles and doubles - and will look to repeat again in Beijing.