“I didn’t have a very good start - it’s really hot and really humid so I slipped off the start but I had to focus on my finish,” McFadden said. “Because of my bad start I just had to focus on the last 150m.”

US track star Tatyana McFadden claimed her first gold medal on the second morning of competition at the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships, with victory in the women’s 200m T54.

McFadden won four gold medals in New Zealand two years ago, including the 200m T54, and the 24-year-old hopes to make it six this time around, having already secured a place in the final of the 5,000m.

Victory for the American never looked in doubt as she powered home 10m clear of the field in 28.69 seconds, despite admitting that she

didn’t want to ease up over the finish, having started poorly.

“I didn’t have a very good start - it’s really hot and really humid so I slipped off the start but I had to focus on my finish,” McFadden said. “Because of my bad start I just had to focus on the last 150m.”

A further eight medals were decided in the morning session, with Brazil’s defending 200m T11 champion Lucas Prado successfully retaining the title he won two years ago in New Zealand, taking gold ahead of Namibia’s Ananias Shikongo, with fellow Brazilian Daniel Silva claiming bronze.

Prado, who set the world record on his way to Paralympic glory in Beijing in 2008, clocked 22.55 seconds, a new championship record as he pushed all the way to the line.

“I had a strong start, and when I was coming to the home straight I could feel I was in front,” he explained. “I was thinking about doing a celebration but then my guide started screaming at me, and I did not know if I was still winning.”

Poland’s Mateusz Michalski also held on to his world title in championship record time, winning the 200m T12 after powering down the home straight to cross the line in 21.78 seconds. Fedor Trikolich and Artem Loginov picked up silver and bronze for Russia.

China’s Lisha Huang added to her 2012 Paralympic victory with gold in the women’s 200m T53. Huang clocked 29.76, a new championship record, to take the title ahead of Australia’s Angela Ballard, who had to make do with silver once again, having finished runner-up in London.

Out in the field, Poland’s Bartosz Tyszkowski took gold in the men’s shot put F41 with a personal best of 12.18m, the only athlete to throw beyond the 12m mark, whilst in the men’s discus F37/38, the Ukraine’s Mykola Zhabnyak managed to go one better than the silver medal he won two years ago, clinching gold with a championship best of 55.71m.

Great Britain’s Josie Pearson broke her own world record in the women’s discus F51/52/53, throwing 7.09m (1128 points) to add the world title to her Paralympic gold medal won last year.

And in the women’s shot put F55/56/57 Martina Willing won Germany’s first gold medal of the competition with a best opening throw of 9.03m (950 points).

Men’s long jump T13 gold went to Paralympic champion Luis Felipe Gutierrez. The Cuban leapt 7.33m to secure victory 60cm clear of silver medallist Ihar Fartunau of Belarus.

Earlier, action on the track had kicked off with the semi-finals of the men’s 400m T53 qualifiers, and the reigning world and Paralympic champion Huzhao Li of China looked comfortable qualifying for the final alongside France's Pierre Fairbank in the first semi-final. Silver and bronze medallists in London behind Li, Canada’s Brent Lakatos and Australia’s Richard Colman, also made it through in their semi-final.

In the men’s 400m T54 semi-finals, Switzerland’s Marcel Hug, world silver medallist in 2011, cruised past his rivals on the back straight to book his place in this evening’s final. Thailand’s Saichon Konjen won his heat, with the Netherland’s Paralympic silver medallist Kenny van Weeghel and world bronze medallist Marc Schuh also in the final line up. China’s Paralympic champion and world record holder Lixin Zhang failed to progress.

In the women’s 200m T37, Paralympic champion Namibia’s Johanna Benson made it through to the finals, but she’ll be pushed hard by home favourite Mandy Francois-Elie who stormed home in 28.35 seconds, a new world record. Defending champion Katrina Hart also makes the final line-up.

Russia’s Paralympic champion Evgenii Shvetcov looked in blistering form in the men’s 100m T36 semi-finals as he powered to the line with a new world record of 11.92 seconds to head the field going in to Monday’s final. Great Britain’s Ben Rushgrove led the qualifiers in his semi-final – a close run race with Ukraine’s long jump champion Roman Pavlyk just 0.1seconds behind. Great Britain’s Paralympic silver medallist Graeme Ballard also made it through as one of the eight qualifiers.