CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) — Double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius lost a 100-metre paralympic race for the first time in seven years yesterday, coming in second at the world championships in a photo finish.

Jerome Singleton, a 24-year-old single-leg amputee from the United States, ended the South African’s streak when both finished in 11.34 seconds, but won in the photo-finish at the International Paralympic Committee Athletics World Championships.

“This is an unbelievably great feeling,” said Singleton, the first American male to win gold in the 100 at the worlds or Paralympic Games since 2004.

“It’s been a long time coming for the US to reclaim the gold in this event and I’m blessed to add my name to the greats who have come before me.”

Pistorius, nicknamed “Blade Runner” because of his prosthetic racing blades, beat Singleton by 0.3 seconds to win the gold medal at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing.

“There isn’t much of a rivalry there if it’s one-sided,” Singleton said. “I’ve been working to bring the gold home to the US and now this motivates me even more to do it again in London in 2012.”