Oscar Pistorius

Oscar Pistorius will make history by becoming the first double amputee to compete on the track at the Olympic Games after he was chosen to run in the 400 metres and 4x400m relay in London.
Speaking exclusively to Sportsmail, Pistorius said he 'never gave up hope' of achieving his dream, despite narrowly missing out on clocking the 'A' standard for a second time this year.
The Blade Runner, who had both legs amputated below the knee when he was just 11 months old, will also defend his titles in the T44 100m, 200m and 400m at the Paralympic Games later this summer.

'The Olympics is a phenomenal competition and just to be there is a privilege,' he said, 'but I don't just want to get there and feel, ''I've made the Olympics. That's awesome".
'You don't always look at whether you can win a medal or make a final, but just what you do at that time is the best you can do. Then I'll be content. I also want my country to do well and I know they will do better because I'm in that relay team.'

Pistorius, 25, appeared to have missed out on an unprecedented Olympic and Paralympic double when he ran 45.52sec — outside the 45.30sec 'A' standard — last week. But he was still selected for the relay team after his 45.20 run in March, which made him eligible to be chosen in the individual event as well.

Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius (born 22 November 1986) is a South African sprint runner. Known as the "Blade Runner" and "the fastest man on no legs", Pistorius, who has a double amputation, is the world record holder for sport class T44 in the 100, 200 and 400 metres events and runs with the aid of Cheetah Flex-Foot carbon fibre transtibial artificial limbs by Ossur.
In 2007, Pistorius took part in his first international competitions for able-bodied athletes. However, his artificial lower legs, while enabling him to compete, have generated claims that he has an unfair advantage over able-bodied runners. The same year, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) amended its competition 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 federation claimed that the amendment was not specifically aimed at Pistorius. After monitoring his track performances and carrying out tests, scientists took the view that Pistorius enjoyed considerable advantages over athletes without prosthetic limbs. On the strength of these findings, on 14 January 2008 the IAAF ruled him ineligible for competitions conducted under its rules, including the 2008 Summer Olympics. This decision was reversed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on 16 May 2008, the Court ruling overall there was no evidence that Pistorius had any net advantage over able-bodied athletes.

The South African, who runs on carbon-fibre blades, won an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in May 2008 that left him free to compete for a place at the Olympics.

Ready for action: Pistorius will also compete in the individual event despite falling short of the time
Pistorius said: 'It's a privilege to have an opportunity to perform at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London. I wanted to compete in the Olympics because it's a reflection of my ranking in the world. It's a reward for any athlete, after years of training, to progress to a competition like that.
'I care about the integrity of my sport. I'm blessed to have respect from the guys I compete against and I give them the same amount of respect. I'm so excited about the next few weeks of competition.'
Gideon Sam, president of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee, insisted Pistorius was selected on merit and not simply for the chance to rewrite the record books.
He said: 'As I have said many times, we are not taking passengers to London. Everyone has met selection criteria and are genuine Olympic Games material, either now or for 2016. I wish them all the best.'