If you are a fan of the Paralympics, than you already know about the great Oscar Pistorus. Oscar is a double amputee world champion sprinter who has broken his own world record 26 times. He is phenomena, he is and enigma, and yes, he is handicapped. You wouldn’t know it to watch him run. It is exactly like attempting to watching a cheetah running across the vast African Plain; he is so fast, so driven, you can hardly keep your eyes on him. He is so good, in fact, that this South African was banned from competing against able-bodied runners by The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) on the grounds that his prosthetics are giving him a technical advantage. It was, and still is Oscar Pistorius’ dream to run against able-bodied athletes so now the task at hand was to appeal the decision made by the IAAF which caused international outrage. That was back in January of this year. Since then, Oscar won that appeal but must prove he will qualify. Pistorius, 21, still must post a time fast enough to qualify for the Games. Pistorius must meet the qualifying standard of 45.55 seconds in the 400 meters to gain an automatic berth in Beijing (or 45.95 seconds for a provisional spot). According to his coach, Ampie Louw, his personal best is 46.33. He has 64 days left to meet those qualifications in order to compete. Many disabled athletes have competed in the Olympics before, but very few have raised the issue of whether their disability, or their compensation for a disability, presents an advantage. It is an issue that has raised controversy and will continue to do so since the debate has become more about technology than handicap. What happens in the future when we have bionics available is, the question of all questions. This decision could, and most likely has, sent a message that will resonate with all Paralympians who would like to be able to compete against able-bodied athletes in the future. “It’s not just about me,” Pistorius said in a telephone interview from Milan. “It’s about the extra opportunity for amputee athletes.” Here here! Congrats to Mr. Pistorus- and the Gorilla will be watching this story closely for an update. Hopefully he meets the qualifications and can compete right along with the other able-bodied athletes at the Summer Olympics. That one will be an exciting one to watch!
May 21