Skip to main content

Blade runner Pistorius makes 400m Olympic qualifying time

Oscar Pistorius has been dubbed the blade runner because of his prosthetic legs.
Oscar Pistorius has been dubbed the blade runner because of his prosthetic legs.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Oscar Pistorius runs 'B' standard qualifying time for the London 2012 Olympics
  • South African athlete is a double amputee and has carbon fiber prosthetic legs
  • 24-year-old sets new personal best time of 45.61 seconds at race in Pretoria
  • Could become first amputee sprinter to compete in both Paralympic and Olympic Games

(CNN) -- Double amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius has moved a step closer to realizing his dream of participating in the Olympics after running the 'B' standard qualifying time for next year's Games in London.

The 24-year-old, who was born without fibulae in both legs, clocked 45.61 seconds to win the 400m race at the Provincial Championships in his home town of Pretoria in South Africa on Wednesday.

Dubbed the 'Blade Runner' because of his carbon fiber prosthetic limbs, Pistorius must now run 0.6 seconds faster to be granted automatic qualification. But his time could still be good enough to earn him a place in the South African team depending on the performance of other athletes.

After narrowly missing out on the time required for the Beijing Olympics, the Johannesburg-born athlete expressed his delight at the achievement on his Twitter page.

One of the best nights of my life. Ran 400m Olympic qualifying time and fastest time in South Africa
--Oscar Pistorius
RELATED TOPICS

"One of the best nights of my life. Ran a 45.61sec 400m Olympic qualifying time and fastest time in South Africa," Pistorius, whose legs were amputated when he was just 11 months old, wrote.

"Thanks to everyone who has supported and believed in me in my Quest to 2012 London Olympics. One step closer. I'm hungry for it."

After finishing sixth at his National Championships in 2007, Pistorius was blocked from competing alongside his able-bodied counterparts as his blades were considered to give him an unfair advantage.

But in 2008 the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled in favor of the four-time Paralympic champion after a lengthy legal battle with the IAAF.

Should he make it to London 2012, Pistorius would become the first amputee sprinter to compete in an Olympics. He first competed in the Paralympic Games in Athens in 2004, where he won gold in the 200m and bronze in the 100m, after having only taken up the sport eight months previously.

His compatriot Natalie du Toit, a single amputee swimmer, and Natalia Partyka, a Polish table tennis player who was born with one arm ending just below her elbow, competed at both the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing.

His new personal best time, 0.41 seconds better than his previous fastest, could also allow him to compete in the World Athletics Championships, which take place in Daegu, South Korea later this year.