Oscar Pistorius ‘Blade Runner’ Smashes Barriers for Disabled Athletes in Olympics

Among the many firsts taking place at the 2012 Olympic Games in London is South African 400-meter runner Oscar Pistorius ability to compete in the game against able-bodied athletes. Pistorius, referred to by some as the ‘blade runner’ is a double-amputee who runs on a pair of carbon-fiber prosthetics known as ‘Cheetah Blades.’

On Saturday, Oscar Pistorius made Olympic history as he ran, and qualified with a second place finish, in a preliminary heat of the men’s 400m. After a final ruling that the blades do not provide Pistorius with an unfair advantage, because of their spring-like effect, he was allowed to compete in the 2012 games becoming the first double-amputee runner to compete in the Olympics.

Whether he ultimately wins a medal or not in these games, Pistorius has opened the door for other disabled athletes to compete alongside their able bodied counterparts at the Olympic games.

The 25 year-old Pistorius was born with a birth defect in which his lower legs had no fibulae. At the age of 11 months the decision was made to amputate both legs below the knee. Pistorius reportedly began walking on prosthetics at an early age and was encouraged by his mother to do whatever his brother did, not allowing him to feel any sense of handicap.

“A loser isn’t the person that gets involved and comes last, but it’s the person that doesn’t get involved in the first place,” Pistorius mother, who died when he was 15 years old, told him.

In January 2008, the world governing body of track and field ruled Pistorius ineligible to compete in the Olympic Games in Beijing saying the carbon-fiber blades violated its ban against springs or wheels that gave an athlete a competitive edge. While the Court of Arbitration for Sport eventually struck down the ruling, the decision came too late for Pistorius to compete in the 2008 Olympics.