'Blade Runner' keeps Olympic hope alive

(CNN) -- Double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius -- nicknamed the "blade runner" for his prosthetic limbs -- still hopes to make it to the Beijing Olympics despite failing to qualify for the individual 400-meter event, his coach said Thursday.

Pistorius, 21, finished third in the 400 meters at a meet Wednesday in Lucerne, Switzerland. His time of 46.25 seconds fell short of the 45.55 needed to make it onto the South African Olympic team, according to country's governing body, Athletics South Africa.

But the sprinter -- who in May won the right to compete in the Games -- could still make it onto the South African 4x400-meter relay team, coach Ampie Louw said.

Louw said he expects AthleticsSouth Africa to make a decision on the six-man roster over the weekend and that Pistorius hopes to be included.

Pistorius lost both legs below the knee when he was a baby. He runs on shock-absorbing carbon-fiber prosthetics that resemble bent skis.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) ruled in January that extensive tests showed that J-shaped prosthetics qualify as technical aids, which are banned in IAAF-governed sports.

The association does allow athletes with prosthetics to compete in able-bodied sports, as long as the IAAF believes they do not give the athlete an unfair edge.

Pistorius appealed the IAAF's ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, which ruled in May that the IAAF did not meet its burden of proof that Pistorius' limbs constitute a technical aid. Watch Pistorius explain his prosthetics »

The court left open the possibility that future advances in science may allow the IAAF to determine later that the limbs may constitute technical aids.

Pistorius won gold in the 200 meters and bronze in the 100 meters at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens. He holds the Paralympic world records in the 100, 200, and 400 meters.

If South African officials decide not to include Pistorius on the team, Louw said coach and sprinter are still pleased about what he achieved this year.

"I think he's happy with that, and I'm really happy with it, and we'll go for it next year," Louw said.

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