Oscar Pistorius Biography and Photos

Oscar Pistorius (b.November 22,1986) is a South African paralympic runner whose lower legs were amputated at age 1. He is the double amputee world record holder in the 100, 200 and 400 metres events and runs with the aid of Cheetah Flex-Foot carbon fibre transtibial artificial limbs. Initially, the IAAF banned him from participating, however in May 2008 the CAS overturned the earlier ruling allowing him to compete at the Beijing Olympics 2008.

An inspirational figure, Oscar's bid to compete against able-bodied athletes at the Beijing Olympics has enthralled South Africans and garnered much international attention. His overwhelming determination, competitive spirit and ability to overcome challenges have turned the perception upside down that living with prosthetic legs is an impediment.

Oscar Pistorius was born on November 22, 1986 in Sandton, Gauteng, South Africa. He was born without a fibula in both of his legs, thus having both of his legs amputated below the knees.
This certainly did not hinder Pistorius, as growing up he participated in several sports - rugby, water polo and tennis. After a rugby knee injury sidelined him, he was introduced to running as part of his rehab and has been running ever since.
Pistorius is known as the “Blade Runner” and competed in the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens. He received a bronze medal in the 100 m and gold in the 200 m. He would go on to win several gold medals in different Paralympic events.

His prosthetics have come under fire, and he uses J-shaped carbon fiber prosthetics that look like blades. They are otherwise known as the “Cheetah Flex-Foot” and many have claimed that the blades are longer than deemed necessary, thus allowing Pistorius to cover more ground. Studies were done on the blades and a German professor told a newspaper that Pistorius has “considerable advantages” over athletes who do not have prosthetic limbs. It was because of this study that the IAAF banned him from competition under their rules, including the 2008 Summer Olympics. He appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). They subsequently reversed the IAAF ban and Pistorius qualified for the Beijing Olympics. However in order to do so, he needed to qualify and, unfortunately for him, lost his qualification attempt by 70 hundredths of a second. The lengthy legal arguments over his right or not to participate no doubt weighed upon his moral.

However this did not stop him from achieving three gold medals in the Para Olympics at Beijung, where he won the 100, 200 and 400 meter races. As a result he has set his hopes on the world championships in Berlin in 2009.