Oscar Pistorius

Oscar Pistorius

File:Ossur Oscar-high640.jpg
Personal information
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1+1⁄4 in) in prosthetics
Weight	80.5 kg (177 lb)
Sport
Country	South Africa
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals	100 m, Bronze; 200 m, Gold (2004 Summer Paralympics)
World finals	100 m, Gold; 200 m, Gold (2005 Paralympic World Cup)
Highest world ranking	Not yet ranked by IAAF
Personal best(s)	100 m: 10.91 WR 200 m: 21.58 WR 400 m: 46.56 WR
Updated on 6 January 2008

Oscar Pistorius (born November 22, 1986) is a South African Paralympic runner. Known as the "Blade Runner" and "the fastest man on no legs", Pistorius is the double amputee world record holder in the 100, 200 and 400 metres events and runs with the aid of carbon fibre transtibial artificial limbs. His artificial lower legs, while enabling him to compete, have also generated claims that he has an unfair advantage over other runners. In 2007, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) amended its competition rules to ban the use of "any technical device that incorporates springs, wheels or any other element that provides a user with an advantage over another athlete not using such a device". It claimed that the amendment was not specifically aimed at Pistorius. After monitoring his track performances using high-definition cameras and analyzing the information, scientists determined that Pistorius enjoyed considerable advantages over athletes without prosthetic limbs. On the strength of these findings, on 14 January 2008 the IAAF ruled him ineligible for competitions conducted under its rules, including the 2008 Summer Olympics. Pistorius is likely to appeal the decision.

On 13 July 2007, Pistorius ran in the 400 m B-race at the Golden Gala in Rome and was placed second with a time of 46.90 s. Two days later, on 15 July 2007, he ran in the 400 m race at the Norwich Union British Grand Prix at the Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield. Pistorius finished last in wet conditions and was later disqualified for running out of his lane.

Background

Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius was born to Henke and Sheila Pistorius on November 22, 1986 in Pretoria, Gauteng Province, without fibulae in both legs due to a congenital condition. When he was 11 months old his legs were amputated halfway between his knees and ankles. He attended the Pretoria Boys' High School where he played rugby union in the third XV, Northern States water polo and state tennis between the ages of 11 and 13. He also took part in club Olympic wrestling. After a serious rugby knee injury, he was introduced to running in January 2004 while undergoing rehabilitation, and never looked back.

Pistorius is currently studying business management with sports science at the University of Pretoria and training for the 2008 Summer Paralympics. His sporting motto is: "You're not disabled by the disabilities you have, you are able by the abilities you have."

Career

Known as the "Blade Runner" and "the fastest man on no legs", Pistorius' first major competition was the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens. He came third overall in the T44 100 m event, which includes single amputees. Despite falling in the preliminary round for the 200 m, he qualified for the final. He went on to win the final with a world record time of 21.97 seconds, beating single amputee American runners Marlon Shirley and Brian Frasure.

In 2005 Pistorius finished sixth in the South African Championships over 400 m, and in March 2007 he finished second in the same competition, with a time of 46.56 seconds. At the 2005 Paralympic World Cup he again won gold in the 100 m and 200 m, beating his previous 200 m world record. At the 2006 Paralympic Athletics World Championships Pistorius won gold in the 100, 200 and 400 m events, breaking the world record over 200 m.

Pistorius had been invited by the IAAF to take part in what would have been his first able-bodied event, the 400 m race at the IAAF Grand Prix in Helsinki, Finland, in July 2005 but he was unable to attend due to school commitments. On 13 July 2007, Pistorius ran in the 400 m race at Rome's Golden Gala and finished second in run B with a time of 46.90s (behind Stefano Braciola's time of 46.72s). This was a warm-up for his appearance at the 400 m at the Norwich Union British Grand Prix at the Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield on 15 July 2007. As American Olympic champion Jeremy Wariner stumbled at the start of the race and stopped running, Pistorius took seventh place in a field of eight in wet conditions with a time of 47.65s. However, he was later disqualified for running outside his lane. The race was won by American Angelo Taylor with a time of 45.25s.

Pistorius has ambitions of competing in other able-bodied events, specifically at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

Dispute over perceived advantages

Pistorius has been the subject of criticism due to claims that his artificial limbs, which are j-shaped carbon-fibre prosthetics called "Cheetahs" manufactured by Icelandic company Össur, give him an advantage, including the fact that the "blades" he uses are longer than is necessary, allowing him to cover more ground in each stride,, that the Cheetahs return more energy per stride without ever becoming fatigued or requiring the same "investment of energy" and that they are not subject to metabolite or lactic acid build-up that slows down ordinary athletes. Pistorius and his coach, Ampie Louw, reject these allegations, saying that his prosthetics do not give him an unfair advantage. They have brought up disadvantages that Pistorius faces, such as rain (which leaves traction hard to attain), wind (which blows the devices sideways), and the fact that he needs more energy to start running than others. Additionally, Professor Robert Gailey of the University of Miami claimed that they lose 20% of the energy they absorb, three times the energy lost by an organic leg. Pistorius has said: "If they [the IAAF] ever found evidence that I was gaining an advantage, then I would stop running because I would not want to compete at a top level if I knew I had an unfair advantage."

In June 2007, the IAAF amended its competition rules to include a ban on the use of "any technical device that incorporates springs, wheels or any other element that provides a user with an advantage over another athlete not using such a device". It claimed that the amendment was not specifically aimed at Pistorius. To decide if he is running with an unfair advantage, the IAAF monitored his track performances using high-definition cameras to film his race against Italian club runners in Rome on 13 July, and his 400 m in Sheffield on 15 July 2007, at which he placed last. In Rome, the IAAF analysis revealed an unusual "pacing strategy", suggesting a difference in performance that could be explained by the advantage given by the Cheetah prosthetics.

In November 2007, German professor Gert-Peter Brueggemann began testing the artificial limbs for the International Association of Athletics Federations. His study found that Pistorius's limbs used 25% less energy than able-bodied runners to run at the same speed, and that they led to less vertical motion combined with 30% less mechanical work for lifting the body. In December, Brueggemann told Die Welt newspaper that Pistorius "has considerable advantages over athletes without prosthetic limbs who were tested by us. It was more than just a few percentage points. I did not expect it to be so clear." Based on these findings, on 14 January 2008 the IAAF ruled Pistorius ineligible for competitions conducted under the IAAF rules, including the 2008 Summer Olympics. Pistorius previously stated that he would appeal any adverse decision, including taking the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Time comparisons

The following are three time comparisons between Pistorius's times and the Olympic winning times over the same distance:

400 m

• 44.00 - 2004 Olympic gold (men)
• 46.56 - Pistorius - world record (March 17, 2007)
• 47.8 - 1928 Olympic gold (men)
• 49.41 - 2004 Olympic gold (women)

200 m

• 19.79 - 2004 Olympic gold (men)
• 21.58 - Pistorius - world record (April 5, 2007)
• 22.0 - 1920 Olympic gold (men)
• 22.05 - 2004 Olympic gold (women)

100 m

• 9.85 - 2004 Olympic gold (men)
• 10.91 - Pistorius - world record (April 4, 2007)
• 10.93 - 2004 Olympic gold (women)
• 11.2 - 1906 Olympic gold (men)

Paralympic medals won

Paralympic Games	Medals won
2004 Paralympics, Athens	Bronze in 100 m and gold in 200 m
2005 Paralympic World Cup	Gold in 100 m and 200 m

Other awards

In 2006, Pistorius was conferred the Order of Ikhamanga in Bronze (OIB) by the President of South Africa for outstanding achievement in sports.

On 9 December 2007, Pistorius was awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Helen Rollason Award, which is conferred for outstanding courage and achievement in the face of adversity.

Personal life

Pistorius has distant Italian ancestry – his mother's grandmother was Italian.

Further reading

• Davies, Gareth A. (2004-10-06). "Olympics within amputee's reach". The Daily Telegraph. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
• Philip, Robert (2005-04-27). "Pistorius masters quick step". The Daily Telegraph. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
• Balding, Clare (2005-05-05). "Disabled star runs into speed trap". The Observer. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
• Knight, Tom (2007-07-14). "Examiners probe the Blade Runner". The Daily Telegraph. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
• Hart, Simon (2007-07-15). "Oscar Pistorius fired up for the 400". The Sunday Telegraph. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
• Buckley, Will (2007-07-15). "Pistorius runs spring-heeled into a court case waiting to happen". The Guardian. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
• Phillips, Michael (2007-07-16). "Furious Pistorius Blade Runner slams IAAF". The Guardian. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
• Phillips, Michael (2007-07-16). "Pistorius leaves crowd wondering what fuss was about". The Guardian. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
• Tucker, Ross (2007-07-17). "Analysis of Oscar Pistorius' Rome debut race". The Science of Sport. Retrieved 2008-01-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

External links

• Oscar Pistorius at the Össur website
• Official website of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)
• Official website of the International Paralympic Committee