Today in History: Oscar Pistorious makes history at Olympics
Six years ago, Oscar Pistorious became the first amputee to take part in the Olympic Games.
South Africa’s infamous ‘Blade Runner’ made history in London six years ago, by becoming the first amputee to take part in the Olympic Games.
Pistorius was born on 22 November 1986, without the fibula (one of the bones between the calf and ankle) in either of his legs. When he was 11 months old, the Johannesburg native’s legs were amputated below the knees, as doctors had advised his parents it would be easier to have the procedure done before Pistorius learned to walk.
Growing up, he used prosthetic legs and participated in numerous sports. After injuring his knee playing rugby in high school, he started running track as a form of rehabilitation.
After years of dominating the paralympian circuit and breaking numerous world records, Pistorius began his history-making appearance at the Olympics on 4 August 2012, by taking second place in his five-man preliminary heat in the 400m with a time of 45.44 seconds. At the semifinals the next day, Pistorius finished in last place, with a time of 46.54 seconds, and failed to advance to the finals.
On 9 August he was supposed to run the third leg of the 4×400 relay, but his teammate Ofentse Mogawane collided with Kenya’s Vincent Mumo Kiilu before he was able to hand off the baton to Pistorius, and the South Africans did not finish the race. After filing a protest, South Africa was allowed to compete in the finals the next day; the team, anchored by Pistorius, finished in eighth place.
At the London Paralympics in September, Pistorius won gold medals with record-setting times in the 400m sprint and the 4×100m relay, along with a silver medal in the 200m sprint.
Nicknamed ‘Blade Runner’ because of the J-shaped carbon-fibre blades he wore to run, Pistorius inspired people around the world. Even though his image would drastically change early the next year, when he murdered his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, Pistorius remains an inspiration to many amputees around the world, showing that anything is possible if you work hard enough.
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