Thread: Oscar Pistorius - Olympic Stadium sneak preview - FULL INTERVIEW

'Blade runner' Pistorius handed dream double Olympic ticket

July 5, 2012

(CNN) -- Double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius will compete at the Olympic Games after he was named in both the individual 400m and the South Africa 4x400m relay squad for London 2012.

The four-time Paralympic Games gold medalist won a silver medal as part of South Africa's 4x400m relay at the World Championships in Daegu last year, although he was left out of the line-up for the final.

He also looked set to be excluded from the individual event in London after failing to run the Olympic 'A' standard qualification mark twice in international competition.

But the South African selectors relaxed their qualification rules Wednesday and named him in both events, much to his delight.

"Today is truly one of the proudest days of my life. To have been selected to represent Team South Africa at the London 2012 Olympic Games in the individual 400m and the 4x400m relay is a real honor and I am so pleased that years of hard work, determination and sacrifice have all come together," he told his official website.

"I have a phenomenal team behind me who have helped get me here and will now put everything we can into the final few weeks of preparations before the Olympic Games where I am aiming to race well, post good times and maybe even a personal best time on the biggest stage of them all."

Pistorius, whose legs were amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old due to a bone defect, runs on special carbon fiber blades from which his nickname "The Blade Runner" derives.

The Johannesburg-born athlete will become the first Paralympian to compete in track and field at the able bodied Olympics.

More @ 'Blade runner' Pistorius handed dream double Olympic ticket - CNN.com

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What a cool ass name, and one baddass mutha phuqa!

So the next time i see some fat slob in a wheel chair claiming disability cause they so fat they wore out there knees, i'm gonna dump that bitch right out they chair!

Can't believe the IOC scrutinizes every last metabolite in every athlete's piss, but this dude is a fucking cyborg and they let him compete. These artificial legs weigh less and store energy more efficiently than human legs, there's no reason he should be permitted to compete in the Olympics. Complete bullshit.

Originally Posted by teezhay

Can't believe the IOC scrutinizes every last metabolite in every athlete's piss, but this dude is a fucking cyborg and they let him compete. These artificial legs weigh less and store energy more efficiently than human legs, there's no reason he should be permitted to compete in the Olympics. Complete bullshit.

Fuck that, brother. He has NO LEGS! And I believe he covered it neatly during that interview. He said that if it was such an advantage then there'd be a number of other amputees who have matched his achievements. There aren't.

Like I said before, that is one bad ass dude.

Originally Posted by Curt James

Fuck that, brother. He has NO LEGS! And I believe he covered it neatly during that interview. He said that if it was such an advantage then there'd be a number of other amputees who have matched his achievements. There aren't.

Actually, he does have legs. They're called prosthetic legs, and they are lighter than biological human legs, and more efficient in storing energy.

Also, there are a few significant flaws with his (and your) logic: a. Olympic-level athletes are extraordinarily rare among the general population, let alone the population of individuals who are or will become amputees; b. the potential to become an Olympic athlete doesn't mean an individual necessarily has the strength of will and heart to achieve that level of success, as only a select few do; and c. there are approximately zero people who are already Olympic-level athletes who would be willing to become amputees for the sole purpose of making a good sports story.

So really, the pool you have to select from is much smaller than that logic would indicate. It makes sense why there's only one guy among all amputees who is at this level this year (there have been others in previous years), because there's only a handful of individuals who are ever at this level, amputee or not. One guy is probably more representative of the amputee population than you'd think, compared to how relatively few runners are competing.

Originally Posted by teezhay

Can't believe the IOC scrutinizes every last metabolite in every athlete's piss, but this dude is a fucking cyborg and they let him compete. These artificial legs weigh less and store energy more efficiently than human legs, there's no reason he should be permitted to compete in the Olympics. Complete bullshit.

It's true that there are plenty of athletes trying to find a way to gain an an advantage but there ain't a bunch of folks standing in line to get their legs amputated so they can run faster!

Originally Posted by teezhay

Actually, he does have legs. They're called prosthetic legs, and they are lighter than biological human legs, and more efficient in storing energy.

Also, there are a few significant flaws with his (and your) logic: a. Olympic-level athletes are extraordinarily rare among the general population, let alone the population of individuals who are or will become amputees; b. the potential to become an Olympic athlete doesn't mean an individual necessarily has the strength of will and heart to achieve that level of success, as only a select few do; and c. there (snip)

And d. I don't give a flying ****.

Oscar Pistorius is the man.

Pistorius Has Realistic Shot at Olympic Medal



After a four-year battle to qualify for the Olympics as the first double amputee runner, Oscar Pistorius talks about his chances ahead of his first race at the London Games. (Aug. 1)

I was really impressed with this guy. Made it to the semifinals and all..

Can he go back to the paralympics now or no???

Originally Posted by teezhay

Can't believe the IOC scrutinizes every last metabolite in every athlete's piss, but this dude is a fucking cyborg and they let him compete. These artificial legs weigh less and store energy more efficiently than human legs, there's no reason he should be permitted to compete in the Olympics. Complete bullshit.

You couldn't be more wrong.

He came under heavy scrutiny a year or two ago, and extensive studies and research were done onr group said he was much more effective, but later was proven wrong, as they only showed interest in full speed straight running (nothing like his event, the 400). The rebound produced by his prosthetics was less effective than most other olympic level sprinters. His quads had to work much harder to make up for this, and he became fatigued much easier than others.

Are you mad cause he's got no legs and a shredded upper body? Lol

^^ the rebound may be less effective and his quads may have to work harder but he doesn't have to worry about his calves getting tired at all... a big part of the 400m.

The dude should be in the para Olympics flat out. That's what there made for

Originally Posted by cottonmouth

^^ the rebound may be less effective and his quads may have to work harder but he doesn't have to worry about his calves getting tired at all... a big part of the 400m.

The dude should be in the para Olympics flat out. That's what there made for

I get your point. Quads are a much larger part of the 400 though. I'd be more accepting of the "they're not even feet, as long as his stride is right, his fot strike will be perfect every time" argument.

That being said, I don't think he can go back an compete in the paralympics again, as he was able t compete against able bodied competitors, and do it well

Originally Posted by Curt James

Fuck that, brother. He has NO LEGS! And I believe he covered it neatly during that interview. He said that if it was such an advantage then there'd be a number of other amputees who have matched his achievements. There aren't.

I agree that his situation is pretty commendable. The IOC made a remark (in laymans terms) that essentially said, "with prothestic limbs, the athlete doesn't feel fatigue in a large muscle group as opposed to an athelete with fully functioning limbs and the capabilitie(s) to fatigue during an event."