Oscar Pistorius
Oscar Pistorius is known as the "fastest thing on no legs"! He is also a highly-entertaining speaker whose talks inspire all those who have heard him.Oscar Pistorius is known as the "fastest thing on no legs"! He is also a highly-entertaining speaker whose talks inspire all those who have heard him.
This Pretoria resident is the world record holder in the 100, 200 and 400 metres sprint in his category and the winner of three Gold Medals at the Beijing Paralympics of 2008. He was cleared in May 2008 to run in the Beijing Olympics by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. This followed a decision by track and field's governing body that said he was ineligible. He then failed to make the Olympic qualifying standard in the 400 which would have enabled him to have run against able-bodied athletes.
Pistorius aims to be a prt of the London 2012 Olympics.
His determination to be considered as an athlete who happens to run on Cheetah carbon-fiber blades (Össur) from the knee down, means that as well as defending his 200m Paralympic title in Beijing in 2008, he still plans to take part alongside able-bodied athletes (as he did in South Korea). And Oscar became the first Paralympic athlete to appear in an IAAF Grand Prix event by running in the Rome Golden Gala where he ended up in 2nd place.
Oscar was only 11 months old when his parents reluctantly agreed to have his limbs amputated below the knee. Born without the fibula in both legs, Oscar says he never really knew anything different.
|
|