By Brian Brown
NBC Olympics on assignment for Rock Center
Come with me to South Africa …
Come with me to a track meet in a wind-whipped city flush against the roiling Indian Ocean … Port Elizabeth.
A 400-meter race is about to be run. Eight athletes are walking to the starting line. Seven of them have legs.
One does not.
Or more correctly, one has legs that conclude at the knees. And this athlete – even just walking – is riveting to watch.
At first, Oscar Pistorius seems like someone who has stepped out of the future.
His gait has the quality of a giant cat on the prowl, if such a creature were equipped with flipper-like feet instead of paws. The means of Oscar’s motion do take the name of a big cat: they’re called Cheetahs. And these Flex-foot Cheetah blades – black, L-shaped, made of carbon fiber – do provoke thoughts of altered, amped-up super beings from a James Cameron science-fiction epic.
As Oscar approaches, model handsome, outfitted in the latest Oakley shades and sleek Nike sportswear, with an admirably sculpted upper body, you can understand why anyone might wonder if this is a peek into our evolutionary future: half man, half machine. Just the words carbon fiber conjure the notion of cutting-edge, space-age technology.
Behind The Scenes: Oscar Pistorius
Aliza Nadi
But if you stay with this scene a little longer, you notice something more. Something flawed about his futuristic-looking prosthetics. Pistorius is walking very carefully, not at all with the steady carefree confidence of a cheetah, but more like a teetering circus performer on stilts, locked in a balancing act that requires immense concentration.
In fact, as you learn when you visit Oscar Pistorius in South Africa, you find out that forward motion atop vertical boomerangs requires supreme balance to keep from tipping over. You’re told that carbon fiber is nothing new, has actually been around for 60 years, well before we put a man on the moon. You learn that Oscar’s Cheetah blades were made nearly 20 years ago. You learn that they do not at all turn Oscar into a springy human pogo stick. In fact, when you try to bend an unattached Cheetah blade, you understand that carbon fiber is nearly rock hard and largely inflexible – it does not contain an internal spring.
You also later learn that this man walking toward you … the one who appeared at first to be like a visitor from a future century … is likely in pain. When any amputee walks with their prosthetic devices, there is often soreness, sometimes even a degree of discomfort no amount of painkillers can relieve. It remains a fundamental engineering problem to seamlessly connect skin and bones with a man-made device – though the industry is doing its best to improve the interface: the pocket where the amputated limb meets the prosthetic.
Aliza Nadi
Running with prosthetics makes the problem worse – Cheetahs are meant for sports, not extended wear. That’s why as soon as every race is over, the first thing Oscar Pistorius does is plop himself down on a patch of grass to switch his legs: exchanging his jet-black blades for a more-humanlike skin-colored pair.
When you are able to meet and listen to Oscar Pistorius, and listen to and learn from the remarkable people who have been supporting his unprecedented aspiration to be the first amputee to ever run at the Olympics, you come to understand that Oscar is not at all, in any sense, a man out of the future.
You learn that real legs are really, really better than the replacements that science has made thus far … that tendons, ligaments and muscles do far greater things than a prosthetic device made from technology that is decades old.
You learn that if Oscar Pistorius was truly bionic, if his artificial limbs had sensors and muscle-like actuation and computational intelligence, he would not only be bionic but he’d also be unbeatable. And though a bionic age may arrive before the conclusion of the 21st century, it won’t be tomorrow.
NBC Olympics: Everything you need to know about double-amputee athlete Oscar Pistorius
And you learn some other truths about his attempt to reach the 2012 London Games:
A truth: Though in 2008, after two days of testing, the IAAF – track’s world governing body – ruled Pistorius had an advantage over able-bodied competitors, that decision was reversed only months later on appeal, when The Court of Arbitration for Sport voted unanimously that Pistorius had no advantage. In their findings, the CAS noted an IAAF process that had gone “off the rails” in a rush to judgment. The CAS's decision, now more than four years old, still stands.
A truth: There is no scientific consensus that Oscar is at a competitive advantage. In fact, the most extensive testing on the subject was instigated by Pistorius himself, who – to help build his case before the CAS – flew 9,000 miles to Houston, where experts submitted him to nearly three weeks of scientific tests.
Aliza Nadi
A truth: Oscar Pistorius is always playing catch-up against able-bodied runners. When the gun goes off, Oscar’s blades don’t react with the explosiveness of the human leg. It takes him a few moments to churn his Cheetahs to top speed. In the short distance of sprint events, like the 400 meters, fast starts are crucial. And there is little Pistorius can do about immediately losing contact with the field.
A truth: As thousands of Paralympians in recent decades have defied their disabilities, only one disabled athlete has run the 400 meters fast enough to dream that he might, possibly, one day qualify for an Olympic Games. That one person is Oscar Pistorius.
A truth: When you visit South Africa, you see that Oscar’s fellow athletes see him not as a threat, but simply as a competitor to beat. And when you see him swarmed by children black and white and brown, you understand that he is a vital figure of unity for a country that is still fitfully trying to dissolve racial divides.
A final truth: Oscar Pistorius is a figure of inspiration and healing, not at all the first of an army of unbeatable, artificially enhanced athletes. More likely, he’s the first and last of a kind … one of one.
He is one step away, one race away from the summit of his remarkable journey: a spot on the South African Olympic team for the 2012 London Games. And though the math of his sport is pretty simple, for Pistorius it should be utterly implausible: run the 400 meters faster than all but a handful of people in the entire world.
This Saturday, at the Adidas Grand Prix, Pistorius comes to the media capital of America, to New York, to secure that spot. And when this mesmerizing figure carefully walks cat-like onto the track at Randall’s Island, he’ll be able to look across the East River at Manhattan’s cityscape, an image of soaring possibility that has long summoned great achievers from across the globe.
45.30 seconds. That’s how fast Pistorius has to run one lap of the track. There may not be more than two dozen people in the entire world who can run that fast right now. But Pistorius has gone even faster in this event, and he is more deeply driven than ever to do it again … this man whose defective lower legs were amputated in infancy … who has never known what it is like to walk on two feet … this double amputee who has never ever thought of himself as one bit disabled.
Here’s a final truth: Don’t feel in the least bit apologetic about rooting your heart out for Oscar Pistorius. To give global notice to such spirit is the essential purpose of the Olympic Games.
Leave a Comment:
As an amputee I find your vivid Sci-Fi descriptions offensive
"Steve Austin, a man barely alive ..."
Face it, roboticism is part of the essence of bionics.
As a Sci Fi fan and an engineer I agree. The Sci Fi descriptions in this article are toward bionic devices that are self powered rather than devices that require full human power.
Its like saying a pole vaulter is bionic...
As another amputee, I say lighten up.
Lighten up, Francis.
As a non-amputee, I think the writer was trying to relate to what many other non-amputees may assume. Whether we like it or not, assumptions and prejudice are common in society and many would look at his prosthetics and assume the "bionic" advantage. I think the article does a great job of pointing out the truth of the matter in a way that most people would understand. I'm with Wexy... lighten up.
As a casual observer, I would suggest everyone is entitled to their views.
Interesting man, interesting story. Lousy writing. Who hired this guy?
Have seen someone on TV (maybe this fellow) running on the Cheetahs. It looked like they provided some spring. Glad to learn something new about the reality of being an amputee. I like this guy's determination. So the bionic comments were out of line, but it's still an inspiring story.
I think the article did a great job of telling Pistorius' story and in helping people to understand the reality of the blades he runs on. I think that those taking offense to the sci-fi reference need to lighten up a little. The author is simply saying that while they may look like something from sci-fi, that is definitely not the reality of the blades. The author does a great job of getting the point across that these blades do not provide Pistorius with any kind of advantage as some might have assumed from their appearance. I applaud Pistorius' dream and determination and hope that he makes the Olympics. It would be great to see him out there competing. Whether he wins or loses it would be a huge step forward for those who face challenges like he does and encourage others to go for it, showing that there is little they can't do if they put their heart and the effort into it.
Hedwig
The article's OK, what's your beef?
This is one amazing individual! He has the heart of a Lion.
And the legs of a Transformer.
As a non-amputee, I say....
Kick @#$@#@ Azz! Go Oscar!
This story grabbed my attention like no other than I have ever read. Kudos on the writing!
Yes, sometimes children can refer to artificial limbs as being a bit sci-fi-sh for they are too young to truly understand. I , for one, cannot even imagine the pain one endures wearing them.
I give the person who is able to withstand the pain and move on with life and to overcome so many obstacles as Oscar has all the respect in the world *standing Ovation*. I understand pain all too well as I suffer from Fibromyalgia. I live with intense pain every moment of my life. Each move is truly a concentrated effort. So, yes I give Oscar all the respect I have and then some. Way to go Oscar, Go for your dream!
So very inspiring! Use what ya got! I am rooting for him to win an Olympic medal. We all have something to contribute in this life. I love hearing true stories of people who press on and do great things.
Amazing person. However, the reporter went on and on and on. Cut to the chase and report. No essay needed.
What's wrong with the essay. I say it was approriate.
How can someone with artificial limbs be authorized to participate. You can't tell me that they don't make a difference in performance. One more case of Progressive political correctness gone amok. I guess there is no chance of this guy pulling a hamstring or having any kind of foot injury.
Dan G.: Pistorius still has hamstrings that can be injured. While it's true he can't get a foot injury, it's also true that the other athletes are at no risk of their legs falling off. It has been painstakingly determined that he remains at a disadvantage to the other athletes, because when he pushes off, he can't generate the spring that natural muscles and tendons provide. The data proving that was presented to the IOC by MIT professor and double amputee Hugh Herr. YouTube videos of Herr speaking are fascinating...check them out. All that said, this article is wayyyy off. Pistorius isn't one of a kind. We're at the dawn of a bionic age and Oscar's prosthetics are ridiculously crude-- which is why he's allowed to use them in the olympics. Hugh Herr could certainly build him a pair that would confer tremendous advantage, they just remain very expensive. Herr upgrades his own legs every year; as he said in one lecture: "People used to pity me for having no legs-- but now my legs are getting better every year, while yours are getting worse." Get ready for a new world...
Dan G.,
Perhaps you will choose to cut off your own legs to gain a competitive advantage. Probably not. My son has unilateral fibular hemimelia, he wears a prosthetic leg. He struggles to keep up in soccer with the other eight year olds. What Mr. Pistorius is doing is nothing short of amazing. We will be staying up past my son's bedtime on Thursday to watch his interview.
I find it hard to believe he doesn't have a competitive advantage. Just my opinion (which obviously counts for very little, but since this is a discussion board, I will post it.)
Dan G.-
Basic thermodynamics tells us that you can't get more energy out of a mechanism than you put in. So with that basic fact and the fact that this man lacks many of the leg muscles that the other runners possess, How can he possibly have an advantage with his "legs?"
Okay, let me say first that this is in no way any kind of insult to the many amputees out there. I am a disabled vet and I have many friends who are double, triple, even quadruple amputees. I understand where you're coming from.
The problem is that there is no way to definitively answer the question as to whether or not the gentleman has an advantage or not. No amount of testing will determine it because of a variety of factors. Some questions...
-Has the Olympic body created rules for types of materials, rebound, compression? I can go on and on?
-What determines balance? Does everyone have to have the same amputation? What if someone missing only one leg wants in? What if someone missing a foot, or both feet? Where is the consistency?
-What if, in the future, a double amputee runner comes along that can beat the best in the world? What is the metric they will apply to determine it was actually the runner and not the technology.
-If a suit helps a swimmer glide through the water faster, and shoes help a runner run better, what is to keep technology from allowing an amputee runner to run faster than they would if they had legs?
-which brings another question. Did the amputee runner run the same times WITH legs as without?
There are too many questions and I'm going to be fairly certain that at least one stupid a-hole will file a complaint...probably the person that loses their place to this runner. And I am sorry to say, their complaint will be justified.
This is a totally new area that we're going into. I'm of the mind that an entire set of rules will have to be created. I'm sure we'll eventually get there, but I don't see it happening in London.
I agree, He wont get "Tired feet", so he has the advantage over the other running, even though his legs will get tired but its not the same thing, he has no shin area so he has an advantage. i mean its a great story, an inspiring story, but really, i see nothing come out of this, its not fair to the other runners at all, i would protest this in all forms if i was a runner.
Since hw has no tibia bone and the muscles around, he will have quite less muscle fatique in that area, his upper leg muscle will be stronger and get less fatique then the lower muscle, so you see its an advantage.
Might as well let the wheelchair people join in the race too.
Just goto your disability olympic you know those special olympic for these type of people, i know you want to be normal, but you cannot be til you have a regular pair of legs.
Look at yourself in the mirror and say am i normal?? COMPLETLY NORMAL?!?!
No you are not. So its a hard tribunal debate.
he should not compete, out of fairness of the other runners
Kevin - But you certainly can get a greater percentage out of a metal spring than a flesh covered bone.
The lack of weight alone gives him an advantage over a same-sized runner with both lowers legs. I'm not sure how much 2 lower legs would weigh but I'm guessing 30 to 40 lbs, give this guy the extra leg weight that he would normally have to move from start to finish and it will certainly result in a slower time.
Great accomplishment, but don't pretend there aren't advantages.
Advantages, huh? As a single leg amputee I can only offer to help you out by exchanging one leg. You get my prosthetic leg and with it a big advantage. I get your old fashioned leg. I'll be smiling - you won't!
"Basic thermodynamics tells us that you can't get more energy out of a mechanism than you put in."
Yes, but different mechanisms have different energy loss rates when energy is put into them. This is why balls of different materials and construction bounce to different heights when dropped from the same height. Nice try....
Dan G.
Anything to knock those politically unaligend with your narrow view.
Given your hypothesis that I can't get more energy out of a mechanism than I put in, I could not ride a bicycle faster than I could run or jump higher on a trampoline than without it.
Mister Whoops
I agree, He wont get "Tired feet", so he has the advantage over the other running, even though his legs will get tired but its not the same thing, he has no shin area so he has an advantage.
How can you even begin to point out any differences here? You clearly have no idea what issues a double below knee amputee deals with. "no shin areal so he as an advantage" That doesn't make any sense. Plus he can't PUSH off like people with feet can. Do you know how important all of your toes are, even with walking?
i mean its a great story, an inspiring story, but really, i see nothing come out of this, its not fair to the other runners at all, i would protest this in all forms if i was a runner.
Explain how it's not fair for a guy who has no feet to compete with people who do. lol, that, is not logic at all. If this guy was slower than every able-bodied runner against him, and he was merely just another competitor but lost, no one would be complaining. Instead, they would call it inspiration for trying. Now that he is beating able-bodied runners, he cheating...or has an advantage.
Since hw has no tibia bone and the muscles around, he will have quite less muscle fatique in that area, his upper leg muscle will be stronger and get less fatique then the lower muscle, so you see its an advantage.
You obviously don't know too much about what happens to the surrounding muscles when a limb is amputated.
Might as well let the wheelchair people join in the race too.
Just goto your disability olympic you know those special olympic for these type of people, i know you want to be normal, but you cannot be til you have a regular pair of legs.
This is the most upsetting part of your comment. Look up paralympics and then special olympics. Not saying a THING bad about the special olympics, but you clearly seem to think that disabled people (amputees) are "special".
Look at yourself in the mirror and say am i normal?? COMPLETLY NORMAL?!?!
No you are not. So its a hard tribunal debate.
Define normal. WTF is wrong with you? What is your perception of someone who doesn't fit your mold? So, someone in a wc or missing a limb isn't normal anymore? What changed, their appearance? Big Fkn deal. you need a reality check.
he should not compete, out of fairness of the other runners
Soon all aspiring olympic runners will have to cut their legs off to be able to compete at the highest level
It is commendable that Pistorius is still able to run. However, being handicapped doesn't mean he should be allowed to essentially compete with bionic limbs.
he's not competing with bionic limbs. Why do think that?
Where did you get the idea Mr. Pistorius is handicapped?
Truth,
You are a dumb a**! True?
What Mr. Pistorius is doing is highly commendable, especially considering the fact that far too many of us who totally lack injuries of any kind don't get off our butts enough to do the minimal amount of exercise required to remain in decent physical condition. However, sorry to burst your bubble, bixie, but the definition of "handicapped", according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary is "having a physical or mental disability". This is an accurate description of Mr. Pistorius because he has lost the lower portion of both legs. You can try to be as politically correct as you want, but facts are facts. There is hardly a person on this planet who can't be described using adjectives that others might refute. We are too old, too young, obese, fat, ugly, too short, too tall, etc. That's life. Get over it.
bixie you cannot see, if you saw a deaf person signing would you say he is handicap?
If you saw a guy on crutches would you say he is handicap?
If you saw a guy in a wheelchair would you say he is handicap?
just because pistirous had two mechanical lower legs MECHANICAL!! okay he is handicap because he does not sleep with them on. so that a handicap.
unless you see him walking without those devices, then you would call him a midget.
Not being crude, but its a fact.
bixie - "Where did you get the idea Mr. Pistorius is handicapped?"
Because he needs to wear artificial limbs to run or walk? Mr. Pistorious IS HANDICAPPED, with his prosthetics he is less handicapped. Have you seen him swim?
Acknowledging reality does not make you a bad person, no matter how much liberals try to label you as such. Yes, I bought politics into it, as it is the driver of out of control political correctness.
Most handicaps are in the brain or spirit, not in the physical being. If you want something bad enough, you go beyond any physical handicap. There are plenty of challenged people out there doing what doctors and others told them they couldn't. This young man hasn't ever had working lower legs and had the amputation in infancy. So he likely didn't know he was "handicapped" for a while. I'm amazed at what kids without arms learn to do with their feet.
And for pstanfield38 -- compare his pre-amputation speed to after amputation speed. He was a BABY at that time and never had normal lower legs. Geez. Some of you people need to learn to READ before commenting.
On the msnbc home page, this head line refers to his "carbon legs." Aren't all legs techically made of carbon? Surely there's a title that sounds as intriguing and sci-fi as the author is looking for, without ignoring the fact that all legs are carbon-based.
They are just being lazy and shortening the title. It should be carbon fiber which is just as Sci Fi and more accurate but a longer title...
HA jackie, HA!
Mr. Brown,
Thank you for writing this article to show ABILITY not disability. Your writing not only highlights a remarkable achievement, but does it in a way that makes Mr. Pistorius a man, not a label. Congratulations on your superb writing and good luck to Mr. Pistorius!
I think that allowing those with artificial limbs to compete in the Olympics detracts from the spirit of the Olympics by allowing doubt and suspicion to enter the competition. Why should we accept something like this without evidence that it does not provide an unfair advantage? Are we to allow it and then amend the results later with an asterisk? Who will not be allowed to compete so this one hybrid athlete may enter to provide a controversial story line?
If it truly was an unfair advantage... then there would be no doubt whether he would make the olympic team or not, AND there would be more people out there with these prosthetics trying to make the team as well. Bottom line, look at the average times of a runner with a prosthetic vs. a runner without and figure out who is at an advantage.
He spent 3 weeks being tested to prove that he gained no advantage by using prosthetics.
"In fact, the most extensive testing on the subject was instigated by Pistorius himself, who – to help build his case before the CAS – flew 9,000 miles to Houston, where experts submitted him to nearly three weeks of scientific tests."
Not to mention that there are endless olympic sports where technological innovation provides an advantage to athletes. Skiing, Riflery, Rowing, Swimming, etc.
It's quite simple. The article said he was a slow starter due to the equipment. Then he has to catch up with the pack. That means he becomes one of the fastest men on earth in the second half of the race. Further, the act of throwing your leg forward takes great energy. His leg weighs virtually nothing from the knee down, something that would greatly aid the speed with which he can take the next step. Lastly, there is "likely" a mechanical advantage in the energy recovered from the flexed fibers that is transferred into forward momentum. I run 900 miles a year, I know what I'm talking about more than most non-runners on this subject.
I agree with this. Should this man win or even come close it would detract from the event. You will never prove, one way or another whether it is an advantage or not to run on artificial carbon springs, unless a person was a runner prior to losing their legs. That is not the case here since he lost them as a very young child. Please don't call them legs. A real artificial leg would mimic a real leg in both good and bad ways. He runs on SPRINGS. My grandfather had a wooden leg that looked and operated more like a real leg than Oscar's contraptions.
isnt it possible during the test, he would have held back on performance a bit?? just to be able to join?? just do enough so he can show they he is no better?? I think he would do such a thing, im not pointing fingers here, but it quite possible.
You know lose a few event and win the majority of them. to to level the playing field. i would not be surprise if this is the case.
"There is no scientific consensus that Oscar is at a competitive advantage."
I'm not sure how there can not be an advantage? He has no muscles below the knee that would tire out. Also, wouldn't not having anything below the knees make him lighter allowing his muscles to move him faster?
So then I guess by this logic, a smaller runner is at a disadvantage over a taller runner who has a longer stride... oh wait, or is it a smaller runner has an advantage due to lighter weight? Hmmm... perhaps we need to start grouping races by height now... oh and then maybe by weight as well since that obviously could give a competitive advantage. Wow...
By this logic, a runner with no muscles would be the fastest...doh!
Crazyfish, have you ever jumped on a trampoline? I think there are real advantages to Cheetah runners. I think the testing only says that in this case it seems to balance out so it would be a reasonably close race. That's not the same as having no advantage. It's how you want to interpret the results of the testing that should be questioned.
He may or may not have an advantage. However he can get better with more materials research independent of anything he does in exercise. That is also true with pole vaulting and cycling. The difference is that only he gets better with better materials. In the other sports everyone gets better.
justamom, its called logic.
no bottom leg muscle or feet produces less fatigue poison, in the body.
you lose less sweat and body heat.
and a smaller person as a midget you want to put it, does have feet and lower leg so this doesnt compare. but in logic the longer the legs the more speed you will have, you will cover more ground, runner are people just jumping horizontally.
i do wish him luck and i hope he didnt cheat on the test result you know held back the full potential of having these devices.
Justamomof2 -- I was thinking along those same lines. I'm very short. It's a challenge on occasion to be so short. So one could say I'm handicapped and my 25 inch legs give me an advantage? I couldn't run worth a hoot as a skinny kid, let alone as an adult.
Some people just have to have some excuse to whine and complain and poo-poo anyone doing better than them. It all boils down to that "not my fault" and "it's not fair" attitude. Funny the running competitors aren't whining and lodging complaints. I imagine they know just how painful it is for Oscar to run and would never think of trading places with him.
Mister Whoops:
Amputees sweat MORE than people with all of their limbs. There is less skin and pores to cool your body down. All of your comments are ill-thought and wrong here. Please stop posting.
Wexy, you have no authority to tell anyone to stop posting. I suggest you quit reading instead.
Finally, it is quite likely that scientists who tested this system for unfair advantages did not know what to test or how to test it. It is logical to assume that Cheetahs vault him into a performance level he would never have achieved with his own limbs.
Mic...from all of your comments on here, you are clearly against him running. So I suggest that you quit reading. I can suggest someone to stop posting just as you suggested me to stop reading right? Mister Whoops comments and opinions can be somewhat hurtful to amputees. They were based on NO logic and rational thinking. Sorry that I was too blunt for you. But your ideas on how these tests went are skewed. I agree 100% that he was tested fairly and that he has an advantage having first had experience with this type of pros and others.
Wexy, you can't even formulate a sensible and coherent reply. You are the one that started telling people to stop posting. It's their right to participate. It is not your right to tell others what to do so I merely gave you a taste of your own medicine. Further, your opinions lack substance and you fail to understand the comments of what others post. Frankly you contributed nothing to the understanding of the so-called athlete's right to run. I live the runners life and read a lot about running. I've seen many articles on this guy for the last year. And I saying that the competition is for the human with no mechanical enhancements. Until they can clone new legs for him that's just the way it should be. So before you decide to insert your intellectually inferior opinion into this again, try using your brain and at least be respectful the opinions of others.
Respectful of a commenter on here who is giving amputees and other types of disabilities a bad name? Is that what you are defending here? I'm not going to break your comment down, stoop to your level and start bashing you. But NO, I won't respect comments like:
"justamom, its called logic.
no bottom leg muscle or feet produces less fatigue poison, in the body.
you lose less sweat and body heat.
and a smaller person as a midget you want to put it, does have feet and lower leg so this doesnt compare. but in logic the longer the legs the more speed you will have, you will cover more ground, runner are people just jumping horizontally."
Or:
"Look at yourself in the mirror and say am i normal?? COMPLETLY NORMAL?!?!
No you are not. So its a hard tribunal debate."
Wexy I doubt you could find the verb in a sentence let alone break anything down with critical analysis. You started the "bashing" and when someone bloodies your nose you don't want to play anymore. I'll bet you spend a lot of time hiding behind a computer screen and would never dare assert yourself in person.
Mickey, this is a blog, not a college paper. You must be out of something to do.
Maybe you could stay on topic here since you are such an expert on prosthetics, running, and tests done by professionals.
When it comes to something like this, there is always so much ignorance expressed by the masses. Ah ha they say... He has an advantage... This is unfair, he has a competitive edge. Nonsense I say! I see a man who his whole life has been a bit different. He has had to overcome each and every obstacle himself, and he has succeeded. Many of us give up, allow lesser obstacles defeat us. But now, here he is, about to "grab the golden ring". I hope he wins! In-fact just by being there and trying he has already won. I look forward to seeing him compete in the Olympics.
Well, you analysis is incorrect. We ALL have had challenges and obstacles in our lives to oversome, even the other runners. It may not be the lost of limbs, but there are challenges just the same.
I know this is good PR and a humantarian piece, but he should run in the Olympics against others with the same advantages/disadvantages. The Olympics have long been a competition of human physical prowess without the use of special equipment. It was the original goal and it still is.
No, he should not race with other runners that have to tone and train their upper and lower leg muscles which can both become fatigued during a race. And yes, his Prosthetic does give him an advantage of being light weight (carbon fiber), durable, give him a slight lift, and decrease his total BSA.
the man is being unfair to other runners, if you would see the whole picture then maybe you would see the light.
many of us wont give up as you say we go further, but not to cheat our fellow man.
i would see if he was a shot put or a wieghtlifter but a runner?? something to do without his legs would be ideal for him to compete.
I mean its a great thing for him to do this, a great accomplishment for him, but to cheat like this he is making mockery of other people, in the game.
Its like telling a heavyweight to fight a featherweight, sure they are all human but what the advantage?? hmmm makes you think hmmmm.
why not let a wheelchair person compete in the 1500 meter race?? hmm why not??his arms will get tired oh sure he can roll down the track. yeah and?? but what an accomplishment.
im sorry but he does have an advantage, he should be competeing in the special olympic, and thats it.
or compete in something that doesnt require his use of the legs.
This is a great "fluff" piece with no scientific content. Want to know the real science behind the advantage of Pistorius? Read the scientific data and anaylsis at The Science of Sport:
This is a good humanitarian story, but he should not be allowed to run in the Olympics.
While the devices in this story may not give him an advantage, newer devices may soon give a runner a definite boost beyond the runners with natural legs. Furthermore, similar devices are already available that can attach to normal legs and feet. Should runners be able to use these in competition? Once a competitive athlete is able to use devices beyond his natural body where do you draw the line?
True...science and technology will make better legs and it will just continue to get better. But so??? His legs NOW are not, he can keep using these and be just fine. When the time comes that prosthetics make amputees faster than non-amps, then there can be rules and regulations on what legs they run with. It's pretty simple. he should be able to compete against other athletes in the Olympics.
While it's cool that he can run and do whatever he wants to in life he shouldn't be allowed to compete in races with them. Does he run faster when he gets legs with more spring in them? The other runners can't adjust their legs for a better edge. Do they allow runners with hydraulics to race in the future?
Cyborgs are a reality. Carbonite legs alright, steroids bad.
The guy has no business running against runners w two legs. Its not fair to the runners with two legs. It is possible the artifical legs have extra spring giving the runner a competitive advantage. While we can all respect the athlete, he should run against athletes w the same physical condition.
I have a carbon fiber mast in my sailboat. It is somewhat flexible for sure - like hard steel, but much lighter.
i highly commend Pistorius for all his accomplishments- but where do we draw the line? The loading of carbon has to produce more power on its return- and if not in today's models, then certainly in the future (as the designer admitted). he might be slower off the line, but once he gets his stride its just not a level playing field. whats to stop somebody from taking a bicycle to a marathon... its an addition to the human body. we have to draw the line in this already uber competitive sport before it gets too blurred.
It is amazing that he wants to run in the Olympics and he is living a normal life, but I have to agree with some of the other post. The Olympics does have certain requirements. When you start bending the rules and let runners with prosthetic s built for durability, flexibility, tension resistance, and light weight, you should no longer be qualified to run against athletes without this. He might as well be driving a car.
I applaud him for wanting to run in the Olympics. But he should run against others that have the same advantage/disadvantage his prosthetic s give him.
Any time someone has an artificial body part, whether it's a leg, arm, heart, lungs, etc, he or she should not be allowed to compete with athletes with natural parts. If the person wins, the other athletes would feel cheated. If he loses, then nobody says anything, a patronizing gesture. Same goes for transgenders. How is it fair that a physically stronger man-turned-woman can compete with the women? Once a person's body parts are artifically transformed, he or she should be disqualified.
Remarkable achievement, remarkable spirit, such a great man. Remarkable artificial limbs.
I applaud this guy for what he is doing for what he has overcome but I just don't think he should compete. First of all while he does still have physical body parts that can suffer the effects of exertion which comes into play when competing and can effect an athlete his primary physical body part for his selected sport are legs and the particular legs he is using are designed to increase speed and running efficiency. In effect by overcoming many of the natural legs shortcomings. If he is allowed to compete then some other athlete should be allowed to compete with roller blades to increase their speed. He has earned respect but there needs to be a line. Or for that matter why not let a motorcycle in a bicycle race.
Those here who seem to be down in the mouth over the article, the athlete Oscar, this free citizen says: ya'll didn't seem to read the article. The man , the athlete Oscar, endures pain to compete at the highest level; the Olympics. He strives to be the best, overcoming his shortcomings. How 'bout ya'll taking a bit of the olympian spirit of this man and strive to be better, stronger, faster? This free citizen will remember this man's story the next time I struggle to get my lazy ass to the gym on my two perfectly good legs. This free citizen says: Go Oscar Go!
I'm sorry but this guy should NOT be allowed to compete in high-level events, including the Olympics. His courage and ambitions are admirable--but he's not running on human legs. That cannot be overstated. His running on metal prosthetics with spring action that are probably giving him an advantage. But the key point is that all these events are about people using human limbs to compete. An artificial limb adds an artificial element to the competition--not good.