“Blade Runner” Oscar Pistorious Talks About What He’s Learnt

by Amanda on Nov 26th, 2010

Oscar Pistorious is a Paralympic runner and world-record holder who performs with the aid of carbon fibre transtibial artificial limbs. He has won five Paralympic medals and holds the world record in the 100m, 200m and 400m events. This winner talks to Nechama Brodie about handling loss:

If you eat crap, you put on weight. I don’t have the metabolism of a 17-year-old any more. My times are very good, but I don’t respond to things the way I used to.

Being rugged is different to being dirty. I think male grooming is really important. I hate chewed, dirty nails. Your hands should be clean and look nice.

You learn a lot when you don’t win. Winning is weird – it’s addictive. But when you win you don’t think about the win itself, you focus on the next race. When I lose, I think about it for days. I’m not a good loser. I become very grumpy. Still, that’s when I learn about myself. How people handle loss is important. For me, it drives me to do more next time.

Kids who are passionate about sport are really cool. I’ll never get used to strangers interrupting me during my private time – like when I’m eating dinner. People don’t respect that it is personal time and space. You can say it’s part of the job, but I’ll never get used to it. Kids are different though. They get so excited. I’ll do anything for kids who love sports. Their enthusiasm is contagious.