PARALYMPIC champion Owen Miller says he's proud to have joined a unique list of athletes after he ran to a sensational Tokyo gold.

The 29-year-old, from Dunfermline, marked his debut at the Games by racing to victory in the men's T20 1500 metres final in the early hours of last Friday morning,

Having targeted a medal before flying out to Japan, former Woodmill High School pupil Miller went into the race in what he described as the "best shape" of his career, having set a new PB of three minutes and 52.09 seconds in July's BMC Gold Standard Races in Stretford, Manchester.

In a thrilling race, a time of 3:54.57 was all the Fife AC star needed to cross the winning line, kicking away in the final 150m to hold off the challenges of Alexandr Rabotnitskii, of the Russian Paralympic Committee, and Italy's Ndiaga Dieng, to win gold.

Having flown back to Scotland on Sunday evening, where residents in his grandparents' village of Blairhall turned out in force to welcome him back, Miller chatted to Press Sport this week during a visit to the track at Pitreavie Athletics Centre.

When asked if his achievement had sunk in, he replied: "Not quite yet!

"I'm still getting round it but I'll get there."

One of the enduring images from Paralympics GB's Games is the sight of Miller smiling broadly as he dashed for the line, safe in the knowledge that he was about to become champion.

"I felt really good and I just kept myself together. I just ran my own race to the best of my ability," he continued.

"As soon as I got to the (final) 150 (metres), that was it. I realised that was going to be it for me; I was going to be coming home and be a Paralympic champion. I just wanted to show everybody I could do it.

"I had a smile on my face and I lit up like Forrest Gump, and just went for the line!

"It felt really exciting. I was quite nervous about it as well because it was my first major Paralympics.

"I took my crown, now that's me, Paralympic champion!"

Miller, who said that winning gold was still overwhelming, has been taken aback by the number of wellwishers he has received, noting: "I've been trying to catch up with it; it's a bit overwhelming just now. It might settle down in a few months' time!

"I got a hug off my team-mate, Thomas Young (who won T38 100m gold). He jumped on me and gave me a big hug after the race. It was good to have two gold-medallists (the pair were room-mates) and was good to celebrate.

"A lot of old people I went to school with have been messaging me and, yeah, the whole thing has got massive now.

"Not a lot of people can say they're a Paralympic champion. I'm happy to be one!"

Owen's coach, Steve Doig, added: "It's an incredible achievement. How many Scottish winners do we have over the years, I don't know, it's a rare thing I would imagine. Incredible.

"I said he was in really good form and I think he was in the best form he's ever been in, and I think he could've run quicker than that had needed to, but, no, it was an incredible run.

"He performed on the day and achieved what was required.

"He's been around in Scottish Athletics circles, and endurance running circles, for a long time and he's a very genuine person.

"You'll not find anyone that's got a bad word to say about him and I think that's why it's been so well received in Scottish Athletics circles."