Oscar Pistorius
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Oscar Pistorius (born November 22, 1986 in Pretoria, Gauteng Province) is a South African Paralympic athlete. Known as "The Fastest Thing On No Legs", Pistorius is the double amputee world record holder in the 100, 200 and 400 metres events. He runs with the aid of carbon fibre transtibial artificial limbs.
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[edit] Biography
Pistorius was born without fibulas in both legs due to a congenital condition. Before his first birthday his legs were amputated below the knee. At school he competed in rugby union and water polo. After a serious knee injury, he was introduced to athletics while undergoing rehabilitation. His first major competition was the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens. He came 3rd overall in the T44 100m event, which includes single amputees. Despite falling in the preliminary round for the 200m, 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.
Pistorius harbours ambitions of competing in able-bodied events, specifically at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. In 2005 he came sixth in the South African (able-bodied) Championships over 400m. At the 2005 Paralympic World Cup he again won gold in the 100m and 200m, beating his previous 200m world record. In July 2005 he became the first disabled athlete to compete at an IAAF Grand Prix event, running in the 400m in Helsinki.[1]
At the 2006 Paralympic Athletics World Championships Pistorius won gold in the 100, 200 and 400m events, breaking the world record over 200m.[2]
Pistorius has been the subject of some criticism. Disabled and able-bodied athletes have both claimed that him being a double amputee gives him an advantage. Another criticism is that the "blades" he uses are longer than is necessary, allowing him to cover more ground in each stride.[3] Pistorius rejects both these allegations. He is currently studying business management at the University of Pretoria, while training for the 2008 Summer Paralympics.
[edit] Time comparisons
[edit] 400m
- 46.56 - Pistorius world record[4]
- 47.8 - 1928 Olympic gold (men)
- 44.00 - 2004 Olympic gold (men)
- 49.41 - 2004 Olympic gold (women)
[edit] 200m
- 21.66 - Pistorius world record[5]
- 22.0 - 1920 Olympic gold (men)
- 19.79 - 2004 Olympic gold (men)
- 22.05 - 2004 Olympic gold (women)
[edit] 100m
- 11.16 - Pistorius world record
- 11.2 - 1906 Olympic gold (men)
- 9.85 - 2004 Olympic gold (men)
- 10.93 - 2004 Olympic gold (women)
[edit] Quotes
- "I'm not disabled, I just don't have any legs."
[edit] Paralympic medals won
| Paralympic Games | Medals won |
|---|---|
| 2004 Paralympics, Athens | Bronze in 100m and gold in 200m |
| 2005 Paralympic World Cup | Gold in 100m and 200m |
