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Blades of glory
Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius is a South African sprint runner. A double amputee, he is known as the 'Blade Runner' and 'the fastest man on no legs'.
He has become an icon for someone who overcomes disadvantage to achieve their full potential.
You have become an icon for overcoming disadvantage. What is your secret?
Oscar Pistorius (OP): I wouldn't say that I have a secret as such. My family always taught me that there was nothing that I couldn't achieve if I set my mind to it, and I was always encouraged to do everything my classmates and brother and sister did. When I was growing up, as a family we lived a very active lifestyle, and I was never allowed to feel in any way different.
Who motivates you and how?
OP: Getting to the next level has always motivated me. Growing up I played every sport I could, and always wanted to win every match or tournament that I took part in. One of my favourite early memories was winning a wrestling competition when I was six, and that desire to keep winning and improving myself will continue for the rest of my life.
What would be the best advice you would give to someone keen to further develop themselves?
OP: Always believe in yourself and never let anyone tell you you can't do something. After my legs were amputated below the knee when I was 11 months old, my parents were told that there was a chance that I may never walk properly, but within weeks of getting my first set of prosthetics I was running around like any toddler and causing havoc around the house. I have always said that "you are not disabled by the disabilities you have, you are abled by the abilities you have", and I think that it is a great way to live your life whatever your circumstances.
Your qualification into 'mainstream' athletics represents a watershed. What does this mean to you, and to other people with disabilities?
OP: I was delighted because I have dreamt for such a long time of competing in major championships, and it was a very proud moment in my life. Stepping out onto the track for the first time in Daegu was a very special moment, and I was pleased that I reached the semi-finals in the 400m and helped the relay team break the South African national record.
It was the highest-profile and most prestigious able-bodied event that I have ever competed in and it was great to be competing against the highest-calibre of athletes from across the planet.
From the moment I started competing internationally when I was 17, I have wanted to test myself against the very best athletes in the best competition, and it was very special do that in South Korea.
What goals do you have that you have yet to achieve, and how do you intend to do this?
OP: I like to keep some of my goals private, but my two clearest goals for 2012 are to qualify for the Olympics and win four gold medals at the Paralympics. In Beijing in 2008 I won three golds, and next year in London I would like to go one better and also win the 4x100m gold medal for South Africa. To achieve these goals I am going to have to keep doing what I've been doing for the last two years and remain completely focused on my training and preparation.
Against the odds
Pistorius is the world record holder in the 100, 200 and 400 metres (sport class T44*) events and runs with the aid of artificial limbs.
In 2007 he took part in his first international competitions for able-bodied athletes. The same year, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) amended its competition rules to ban the use of 'any technical device that incorporates springs, wheels or any other element that provides a user with an advantage over another athlete not using such a device'. It claimed that the amendment was not specifically aimed
at Pistorius.
After monitoring his track performances and carrying out tests, scientists took the view that Pistorius enjoyed considerable advantages over athletes without prosthetic limbs. On the strength of these findings, on 14 January 2008 the IAAF ruled him ineligible for competitions conducted under its rules, including the 2008 Summer Olympics.
This decision was reversed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on 16 May 2008. The Court ruled overall there was no evidence that Pistorius had any net advantage over able-bodied athletes.
* T44 is a classification in paralympic sport used for below knee amputation or an athlete who can walk with moderately reduced function in one or both legs.