Well Done Blade Runner!

South Africa’s own beloved ‘blade runner’, Oscar Pistorius made history last Saturday (4 August 2012) when he made his Olympics debut in the individual 400m. 

Oscar had a long battle to be allowed to compete in the Olympics. He was given the green light for the Olympics following studies that found his prosthetics give him no advantage over his able-bodied rivals.

Unfortunately, Oscar Pistorius's historic Olympic campaign ended on Thursday (9 August 2012) as the South African team failed to complete their 4x400m relay heat after a dramatic fall.

Pistorius competed in the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Paralympics.

He was born on 22 November 1986 without the fibula, the long, slender bone running along the outside of the leg from below the knee joint and down to the ankle, in each of his legs.

His parents consulted with some of the leading doctors in the world before making the heart-wrenching decision to have his legs amputated below the knee. 

They were advised that having the amputation done before Oscar had learnt to walk would be less traumatic for him and would greatly improve his chances of mobility in later life. Six months later, he received his first pair of prosthetic legs and within days, he had mastered them.

Supported and encouraged by his family, Oscar lived an active life, which led to him becoming a keen sportsman during his school years. Whatever the sport, Oscar played it, with his focus being water polo and rugby in secondary school. He also played cricket, tennis, took part in triathlons and Olympic club wrestling and was an enthusiastic boxer.

Oscar is an example to everyone for his courage, dedication and guts!

We are proud of him!