Double Amputee Fails to Make it to 400M Finals
A day after making history by advancing to the semifinals, Oscar Pistorius did not qualify for the medal round.
| Posted Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012, at 4:19 PM
Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images
UPDATE: A day after South Africa's Oscar Pistorius made history by becoming the first double-amputee to compete in track, his participation in the individual events came to a close Sunday when he failed to advance to the final in 400 meters. The Blade Runner will next take part in the 4x400 relay that will run its first heats Thursday, reports Yahoo Sports.
Saturday. August 4: The Blade Runner made it through. Oscar Pistorius, the well-known South African runner who is the first amputee to compete in track at the Olympics, had plenty of fans in London. When he got ready to run Saturday, there was little doubt he was the crowd favorite. And he didn’t disappoint, coming in second in his 400-meter qualifying heat with 45.44 seconds, reports the Washington Post.
“It’s very difficult to separate the occasion from the race,” he said. “Just being here is a tremendous experience."
The 25-year-old has won four Paralympic gold medals but had been fighting for years to get the Olympics to allow him to compete next to able-bodied athletes, explains the Associated Press, noting there were dozens of hearings on whether his carbon-fiber blades gave him an unfair advantage.
Despite Saturday’s celebrations it is highly unlikely Pistorius, whose personal best in the 400 is 45.07 seconds, has a chance at a medal.
