The Fastest Paralympic Runner

Oscar Pistorius is a South African Paralympic runner. Known as the "Blade Runner" and "the fastest man on no legs", Pistorius is the double amputee world record in the holder 100, 200 and 400 meters events and runs with the aid of Cheetah Flex-Foot carbon fiber transtibial artificial limbs by Ossur.

Pistorius took part in his first international able-bodied competitions. However, his artificial lower legs, while allowing it to compete, 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 " . It claimed that the amendment was not specifically aimed at Pistorius.

After his track performance monitoring and carrying out tests, scientists took the view that Pistorius enjoyed considerable advantages athletes without prosthetic limbs. On the strength of these findings, 14 January 2008 on 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 that the IAAF had not provided sufficient evidence to prove that Pistorius's prostheses give him an advantage over able-bodied athletes. Although eligible to compete in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Pistorius still has to qualify for the South African team.