Oscar Pistorius Close to Achieving Olympic Dream (Plus: “Bladerunner” Faces a Cheetah)

by Amanda on Apr 16th, 2012

According to an article in the Huffington Post, Oscar Pistorius is well on his way to finally realising his dream of becoming the first amputee runner at the Olympic Games, after advancing to the 400m final at the South African championships on Friday:

Oscar Pistorius advanced to the 400-meter final at the South African championships on Friday, attempting to become the first amputee athlete to run in the Olympics.

The double-amputee runner and Olympic hopeful smiled after the race, knowing he has a shot at winning South Africa’s national 400-meter title on Saturday.

Complete article: Huffington Post

The “Bladerunner” recently took time out of his busy training schedule to give Laura Williamson of the Daily Mail and Sportsmail photographer Andy Hooper an intimate look at his life in Pretoria. The article and accompanying photos emphasise Pistorius’ love of animals – from his dogs Enzo and Silo, to the two white tigers he adopted and the cheetah he is made to pose with.

The man sitting next to me on a luxurious, L-shaped cream sofa at his open-plan home in Pretoria, South Africa, is a sprinter. He is a man who has now met the qualifying ‘A’ standard to run in the 400 metres at the Olympic Games in London and will also go for four gold medals at the Paralympic Games.

But Oscar Pistorius is also a double amputee. He was born without a fibula, the bone that connects the knee to the ankle. This sprinter’s legs end just below his knees.

Complete interview: Daily Mail

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