Home Contact Advertise
Tuesday, 23 August, 2011, 3:22 ( 1:22 GMT )
Editorial/OP-ED




Disabled 'Blade Runner' Creates History: Qualifies for 2012 Olympics
22/07/2011 17:18:00
Oscar Pistorius, the 'blade runner' feels over the moon after qualifying for World Championships and London Olympic Games

With both legs amputated, South African Oscar Pistorius has become the first 'disabled' athlete to qualify for an able-bodied event in the 2012 Olympics in London. He has qualified for the Oympics and next month's world championships by smashing his 400m personal best.

Pistorius, known as 'Blade Runner' because he runs on carbon fibre prosthetic running blades, recorded a new personal best of 45.07 seconds for the 400m race in Lignano, Italy.

"It was like a dream race. I just have not been able to sleep. I must have 300 messages congratulating me. I am sure tomorrow when I wake up it is going to hit me. It is really humbling to know I have gotten so much support from everyone," said.

A multiple Paralympic gold medalist, the South African had sought to compete in the world championships and Olympics for many years.

Pistorius, 24, had both legs amputated when he was just 11-months-old because of a congenital disorder.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport gave him a chance to compete with able-bodied athletes in May 2008, when it ruled in his favour after a long legal battle with the International Association of Athletics Federations, IAAF, over the use of his running blades, which the federation said gave him an unfair advantage.
Bookmark and Share
 
More Featured Articles
Formula 1: Jenson Button Wins in Hungary in 200th Race of Career
British Formula 1 racing driver Jenson Button won a thrilling 25th Hungarian Grand Prix for McLaren on Sunday in wet/dry conditions after a strategic error cost team-mate Lewis Hamilton a very good shot at victory. His victory at the Hungroring, marked both the fifth anniversary of his first Formula One win in Hungary in 2006 and the occasion of his 200th grand prix.

Formula 1: Vettel Fights Back to Get Pole Position for Hungarian GP
Red Bull's racing driver and current world chanpion Sebastian Vettel put his team back in business in Hungary on Saturday as he beat McLaren's Lewis Hamilton to pole position in the official qualifiers by just a tenth of a second, with Jenson Button third in the second MP4-25 for Sunday's Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix

Argentina Appoint Sabella as National Team's New Coach
Just days after failing to renew Sergio Batista's contract, Argentina Thursday appointed Alejandro Sabella as national team coach, the federation's general secretary Jose Luis Meiszner announced.

 

Home | News | Business | Arts - Culture | Sports | Tourism | Editorial OP-ED | Classifieds | Advertising | Sitemap
To the Editor | Reader Opinion | Contact Us | About Us
© 2011 - The Tripoli Post