Oscar Pistorius of South Africa comes out of the starting blocks during his men's 400 metres heat at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu August 28, 2011. MAX ROSSI/REUTERS/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: rtrlfour930006
South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius already holds world records in a number of events but he is looking to add one more this summer as he continues to work to become the first man with no legs to compete in the Olympics. Pistorius has already ran an Olympic ‘A’ qualifying standard time in the 400 meters earning him the title as “the fastest man on no legs”.
Pistorius was born without a fibula in ether of his legs which led his parents to make the decision to have his legs amputated below the knee. The prosthetic legs did not stop Pistorius from playing sports in school where he competed in waterpolo, rugby, cricket, tennis, triathlons, wrestling and boxing. Pistorius did not start track running until he shattered his knee in a rugby match and was told to run track to aid his rehabilitation. In his first school race, Pistorius ran the 100 meters in 11.72 seconds which his father later learned was faster than the Paralympic world record at the time, set at 12.20 seconds.
Since Pistorius started competing in the Paralympics in 2004 he has dominated – winning 19 medals. All of which are gold except one. Pistorius holds the two Paralympic world records in the 100 Meters and 200 Meters. He then began to compete in able-bodied events but not without some controversy.
In 2007 Pistorius underwent a series of scientific tests at the Cologne Sports University to see if running with blades gave him an advantage. After two days of tests Dr Peter Brüggemann found that the blades gave Pistorius a distant advantage in a race and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) forbid the use of blades in all of their events including the Olympics. Never letting a setback stand in his way Pistorius appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The court ruled after two days of hearings that the tests Brüggemann ran did not take into account all the aspects of a race and that blades do not give a runner any advantages.
The door was open for Pistorius to compete in the 2008 games but he came up just short of qualifying for the 400 meters and was not selected to the South African relay team. Pistorius has ran the Olympic qualifying time for the 400 meters and is just waiting for the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee to select him.
All the signs point to Pistorius the “Blade Runner” making history as next month in London.
For more photos of Oscar Pistorius check out Newscom.
HE has been called the fastest man on no legs. But Oscar 'Blade Runner' Pistorius got a run for his money when five-year-old Ellie Challis challenged him to a race on their bionic feet. Paralympian Pistorius, world record holder for double amputees at 100, 200 and 400 metres, may have made some allowance for age and the fact that Ellie's blades were fitted only last month. But she had clearly learned quicker than he bargained for Ellie crossed the line first in all four of their 15-metre races. The youngster, from Little Clacton, Essex, lost her hands and lower legs after contracting meningitis at 16 months. ZUMA Press/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: zumawirewestphotostwo189317
Double-amputee sprinter, South African Oscar Pistorius, prepares for a training session in Lucerne, Switzerland, 04 July 2008. Pistorius will participate in the 400meter run at the International Athletics Meeting in Lucerne, upcoming July 19. URS FLUEELER/EPA/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: epaphotostwo272097
Oscar Pistorius of South Africa powers his way to win the men's 100m T44 heat during the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games at the National Stadium in the Chinese capital on September 8, 2008. PETER PARKS/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: afplivetwo640562
South African sprint runner known as 'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius poses for photographers ahead of the international Paralympic Day, in central London, on September 7, 2011. London 2012 will host International Paralympic Day in Trafalgar Square, central London tomorrow. A full day of activity is planned to celebrate elite Paralympic sport and give the public a chance to find out about each of the 20 sports to take place at the London 2012 Paralympic Games and meet GB and international athletes. BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: afplivefour027345
A supporter of Oscar Pistorius holds up a sign supporting him. imago sportfotodienst/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: imagosports426777
Former South African president Nelson Mandela (L) congratulates South Africa's Beijing Paralympic gold medalist Oscar Pistorius (R) in Johannesburg, South Africa, 03 October 2008. Mandela requested to personally congratulate South Africa's Beijing Olympic and Paralympic medalists, who visited him at his office at the Nelson Mandela Foundation. JON HRUSA/EPA/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: epaphotosthree708831
Oscar Pistorius of South Africa competes during the men's 400 metres semi-final at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, Aug. 29, 2011. ZUMA Press/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: zumawireworldphotosfour653721
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Tags: 2012 olympics, Athletes in Focus, Olympics, South Africa, summer olympics, Track and Field