OLYMPIC GLORY: MANY ATHLETES HAVE HAD MULTIPLE CHANCES...OSCAR PISTORIOUS WANTS JUST ONE!
5/22/08This post is guest-written by Connie Wilson who is a serial writer and runs her own blog at WeeklyWilson.com.
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“I am ecstatic. When I found out, I cried. It is a battle that has been going on for far too long. It’s a great day for the sport. I think this day is going to go down in history for the equality of disabled people.” So said double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius of South Africa after learning on May 16th that his appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sports had been successful. The COS reversed an earlier January 14th ruling by the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) that banned Pistorius from competing in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Oscar Pistorius has been fighting battles like this for most of his twenty-one years of life. Known as “the Blade Runner” or “the fastest man on no legs,” this World Record holder for 100, 200 and 400-meter events, runs on carbon fiber transtibial artificial limbs known as Cheetahs, because he was born without normal tibias. He has been fighting to succeed despite adversity all of his life.
Oscar was born (Nov. 22, 1986) in Sandton, Gauleng, South Africa near Johannesburg with a congenital disability that made it necessary to amputate both of his legs halfway between his knee and his ankle when he was just eleven months old. The amputation of both of his legs didn’t stop Oscar from participating in rugby union, water polo, tennis, and wrestling at Pretoria Boys’ High School, before finding his true love in track. Oscar’s motto has always been “You’re not disabled by the disabilities; you are able because of the abilities you have.”
Oscar has proven that motto over and over again, winning third, overall, at the 2004 Summer Paralympics games in Athens and, despite falling during the preliminary qualifying race for the 200 meters, coming back to win the race in a world record of 21.97, beating Americans Marlon Shirley and Brian Frasure. Even then, Oscar was able to hold his own against able-bodied athletes, placing sixth in 2005 in the 400 meters with a world championship time of 47.34 seconds in South Africa.
“My focus,” says Oscar, “throughout this appeal has been to ensure that disabled athletes be given the chance to compete and compete fairly with able-bodied athletes. I look forward to continuing my quest for the Olympics.”
Oscar’s specially-fitted carbon fiber running blades were initially tested by a German doctor, Peter Bruggemann of the International Association of Athletic Federations, who said that the blades used 25% less energy, created less vertical motion and caused the runner to need 30% less mechanical energy to lift his body. Bruggemann told German newspaper Die Welt, “He 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.”
That ruling came down on January 14, 2008. When Oscar ran his first able-bodied race in 2007, the IAAF passed a ban to competition that stated that “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” was to be banned.
Pistorius and American experts he consulted chose to appeal the ruling of January, pointing out that Pistorius’ condition means he has slower start times and that there were not enough variables taken into account by the testing in Germany. Pistorius termed the IAAF ban, “premature and highly subjective,” and his manager, Peet van Zyl said that there was “insufficient evidence that Pistorius’ prosthetics provided any metabolic advantage over able-bodied runners.”
When the ruling came down from the Court of Arbitration for Sport, overturning the January ban, it found Pistorius elated but realistic. “In order to qualify for 2008 I’m going to go full steam ahead. I’m going to try, anyway. I’ve got two months to qualify and I think they’ll be the hardest two months of my life.”
Added Pistorius, “The court case was a very negative time and a difficult kind of pressure. The last 5 months have been hectic and so tiring, traveling back and forth to America for testing and dealing with all the negative things that have been said and written about the prosthetic legs.”
Pistorius’ personal best time has been 46.33 seconds. He needs a qualifying time of 45.55 for the 400 meters in Beijing. Even Pistorius has said, “Realistically speaking, I’ve got a better chance of qualifying for the 2012 Olympics in London.”
He will be competing in the Netherlands on May 28 (2008) and then going to Milan, Rome, and Lucerne in July. Berlin’s Golden League has invited him to participate there on June 1st, with Gerhard Janetzky in extending the invitation saying on May 19th, “We want to help him reach his goal and attain the Olympic minimum.”
The way it works, Pistorius needs an Olympic “A’ standard time of 45.55 seconds or a Olympic “B” standard time of 45.95 seconds, as long as there is no faster competitor from his country. Each national athletic federation is permitted to enter three athletes in any event if they have “A” times and one athlete if they have a “B” time. Pistorius could realize his dream of being the first leg amputee runner to participate in the Olympic games by qualifying for his country’s relay team, as an alternative path to competing for the Olympic gold.
Much of the world is pulling for such an outstanding and inspirational athlete with such a story of triumph over adversity, someone who has already overcome such long odds. Since Pistorius would not need an “A’ time or a “B’ time if he is a member of a qualifying relay, his relay teammates are gearing up to help him realize his dream.
Said Pistorius, “The South African season is over, so it would be a case of getting the team together and competing in European events. The relay team is a possibility, but we need to be in the Top 16 in the world. My training buddies have been calling me up and giving me support. (South African 400-meter runner) L.J. Van Zyl called me up and told me that we have to go full out now.”
Added Pistorius, “My dream is to make the Olympics. There’s a lot of hard work ahead.”
Reader Comments (2)
Me too but I get the impression that his participation and a possible victory would overshadow the Olympics especially with so many people already lining up to say it's an unfair advantage..
Also...I suspect the IOC will not want to set a precedence...
I am hopeful but I doubt it will happen...