Nothing left but running

Updated: 2011-08-27 07:56

By Lei Lei (China Daily)

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Amputee finally gets chance to compete for world title

DAEGU, South Korea - Oscar Pistorius is not just competing with the other men who will line up for the 400m race at the World Athletics Championships.

He's not just competing with his legs, both replaced by prosthetics before his first birthday.

He's not competing with the sport's governing body for the right to run at all. (At least not anymore.)

No, Oscar Pistorius' real competition today will be himself.

"My expectation toward myself is to run consistently," Pistorius said.

"I think that, for me, is more important than anything else.

"If I can come close to my personal best, I will be very very happy."

The South African will become the first amputee sprint to compete in the World Championships against able-bodied rivals.

"Being realistic, I'd like to make the quarterfinal," he said. "If I achieve something greater than that, I will take it as a gift there.

The one thing I need to do is to gain experiences from competitions.

You can only gain experience if you run fast and under pressure. I need to get up and run fast from the gun, not be scared of letting myself down. It's not just the physical thing, it's your mind taking over. If I can say that my mind and my body work as hard as I can together and get me to run, regardless (of whether I get into the) quarterfinals or semifinals or whatever happens in the competitions, I will be very happy."

Pistorius, born without a fibula in either leg, fought hard to line up today.

Now 24, he first competed against able-bodied athletes in 2007.

But the IAAF, the governing body of track and field, amended its rules to ban the use of "any technical device that incorporates springs, wheels or any other element that provides a user with an advantage over another athlete not using such a device."

The following year, IAAF said research proved Pistorius enjoyed an advantage over able-bodied athletes and banned him from competitions.

The decision was over-ruled by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, making Pistorius eligible for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

He failed to qualify for the South African team, but won gold medals in the Paralympics in the 100m, 200m and 400m.

This July, he ran a personal best of 45.07seconds over 400m, making him the 18th fastest man at that distance this year.

It also qualified him for the World Championships.

"I'm very honored and privileged to be able to be selected for my country," he said. "I've always had a dream of participating in the event like this."

Pistorius is also likely to run the 4x400m relay for South Africa.

IAAF said on Friday if he wants to run in the relay, he must run the first leg to avoid danger to other athletes.

"We haven't confirmed the positions of the relay, or if I'm in the relay yet," he said. "We will see what happens there. Whatever the team's management's decisions are as far as the positioning, my job is to be to give my best regardless which position I'm in."