By Helen Livingstone –
JOHANNESBURG — Track runner Oscar Pistorius on Wednesday became the first double-amputee to take part in the Olympics, after South Africa selected him for their 2012 team.
“Today is truly one of the proudest days of my life,” said Pistorius, who had both legs amputated below the knee as a young child and has become known as the Bladerunner because of the prosthetic legs he uses.
“To have been selected to represent Team South Africa at the London 2012 Olympic Games in the individual 400 meters and the 4×400-meter relay is a real honor and I am so pleased that years of hard work, determination and sacrifice have all come together.”
On Friday, it had seemed that he would not be able to take part in the individual 400 meters when at the African Athletics Championships in Benin he missed the A standard qualifying time of 45.3 seconds required by South Africa’s Olympic committee (SASCOC) for a second time.
But the 25-year-old’s selection was allowed after all since he had run faster than the necessary time twice in the past 12 months.
“As I have said many times before, we are not taking passengers to London,” said SASCOC president Gideon Sam. “Everyone has met selection criteria and are genuine Olympic Games material.”
Pistorius failed to qualify for the Beijing Olympics but won three golds, in the 100, 200 and 400 meters, at the Paralympics. He is also set to defend those titles this year.
In 2011 he also qualified for the World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea, where he reached the semi-finals of the 400 meters.
