Oscar Pistorius, Biography

Born: 12th November, 1986

Home: Pretoria, South Africa

Oscar Pistorius is one of the most well-known of athletes in the world.  He’s the fastest man with no legs and most people will recall the striking images of the man on blades when he takes to the track.

World record holder paralympian Oscar is the athlete who made famous the blades in place of his two lower legs which were amputated when he was a baby. He was born without a fibula in either leg.  Six months later he received his first prosthetic limbs and mastered them in no time.  Today, his blades are Flex-Foot Cheetahs, made by Icelandic company Ossur. Today he races in both able bodied and disabled competitions after getting a ruling that he had a mechanical advantage overturned.

His disabled sports world record 100m record is 10.91 (compare that to Usain Bolt’s WR 9.58).  To get to London in the able-bodied Olympics Oscar needs to run a 45.25 in the 400m before June – he’s already run a better time so there’s every chance we could see Oscar in both Olympics this year.

A keen sportsman as a child Oscar played rugby and water polo among many other sports which also included Olympic club wrestling and boxing.  In 2003 he shattered his knee in a rugby accident and running became part of the rehabilitation.  He entered a school 100m race and Oscar’s father noticed his 17-year-old son had run a faster time than the Paralympic World Record at the time.

The following year, and just eight months after stepping on to the track for the first time, Oscar Pistorius won Paralympic gold in the 200m in Athens, breaking the world record in the process.

Following further scientific testing and the court case that overturned the IAAF ruling that he couldn’t compete in able-bodied races Oscar concentrated on the Paralympics in Beijing and was the first athlete in history to win gold in the 100m, 200m and 400m events, including getting a Paralympic record of 47.49 in the 400m.

2009 saw Oscar involved in an horrific boat accident that left him in intensive care for five days.  But the resolve hardened and a new focus on training began.  But despite winning three IPC titles in January 2011, he was beaten by Jerome Singleton in the 100m – the first defeat for Pistorius in seven years.

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Career Highs

Along with four Paralympic gold medals Oscar is also the world record holder in the 100m, 200m and 400m for the T44 category (single below knee amputee or reduced walking function in one or both legs). He has broken his own records over 30 times.

Olympic Medals

2008, Beijing 100m (T44), Gold
2008, Beijing 200m (T44), Gold
2008, Beijing 400m (T44), Gold
2004, Athens 200m (T44), Gold

Personal Bests:

100m: 10.91 seconds (South Africa, April 2007)
200m: 21.41 seconds (South Africa, March 2010)
400m: 45.07 seconds (Italy, July 2011)