Amputee Athlete Has Beijing Olympics Goal

Oscar Pistorius, of South Africa, is one determined athlete.

Having had both legs removed below the knee at age one he has at age 20 set world records in the 100, 200, and 400 meter running events for disabled athletes. He uses a carbon fibre prosthetics, custom-made in Iceland, called “Cheetahs”, when running in track events.

The use of the devices have sparked some controversy as some claim that they give Oscar a longer performance enhancing stride which gives him an unfair advantage. Not so, say the manufacturers of the Cheetahs. They insist the Cheetahs are not performance-enhancing but only give the disabled athlete a means to run. It is still up to the athlete to achieve the performance.

Anyone who has ever competed in track and field events knows how dedicated an athlete has to be to achieve any level of winning performance. In the 400 meter race, for example, maximum effort is required to run the distance anywhere near the 46.56 world record (handicapped) time set by Pistorius.

This young man is quite the athlete as it is he who has to make those Cheetahs fly around the track. They are entirely passive devices. Oscar has as his major goal to be the first disabled athlete to qualify for the Olympic games. He is already close to the qualifying times for his events.

The body governing athletics, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), has already moved to block Pistorius from the Olympics by adopting a new rule against “technical aids”.

In my view this action is unacceptable and ridiculous. I see no difference in the advances made in track shoes over the years and advances made in prosthetic devices. Track shoes or prosthetic devices don’t win races, athletics do.

I think the real issue here is fear.

Athletes who have two perfectly good legs are fearful of being beaten by a man wearing prosthetic devices. To them the possible embarrassment is too much to even contemplate. So they are trying to block Oscar from the Olympics.

I wish Oscar Pistorius well. Any young man with the discipline and mental and physical ability to compete at the Olympic level deserves that chance, even if he has no legs below the knee.

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