Monday, August 8, 2011

Let the games begin…in the debate over Oscar Pistorius selection against able-bodied


pistoriusstadium


Let the debate begin… and they will now, hard and fast, as Oscar Pistorius has been officially selected to compete for South Africa at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, Korea. Two events 4 x 400m and 400m. It is a precursor to his selection for the Olympic Games.

It will divide opinion, and has created a platform for searing irony. The man born with no bones in his lower legs is going to be cited by many as having an advantage. He’s unique. He’s human. He’s ultra-competitive. He’s put the time in. Let him run…


Pistorius said yesterday: “I am thrilled to have been announced on the South African team today to compete at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu in the 400m and 4×400m relay. I have dreamt for such a long time of competing in a major Championships and this is a very proud moment in my life. It is an honour to be representing my country at such a prestigious event and I hope to do my best at the competition for South Africa. I am training hard in preparation for the event and I am looking forward to the Championships immensely.”


“The IAAF is a world-class governing body for our sport and I am grateful to have the chance to run in their events. It will be a great day for me when I set out on the track in Daegu and I hope to do my country proud. This will be the highest-profile and most prestigious able-bodied event which I have ever competed in and I will face the highest-calibre of athletes from across the planet. If I manage to make it through the heats, I would be thrilled. A good performance for me would be to be consistent through the heats. If I ran anywhere close to my PB, I would be delighted.”



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