 Pistorius at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics in Daegu, South Korea |
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname(s) | Blade Runner; the fastest man on no legs; "Oz" Pistorius[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 22 November 1986 Sandton, Johannesburg, Transvaal Province (now Gauteng Province), South Africa |
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| Alma mater | University of Pretoria (did not graduate) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in) in prosthetics[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 80.6 kg (178 lb) (2007)[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | www.oscarpistorius.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Running | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Sprints (100, 200, 400 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World finals | 2005 Paralympic World Cup: 100 m (T44) – Gold; 200 m (T44) – Gold | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National finals | 2007 South African Senior Athletics Championships: 400 m (T44) – Gold | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Paralympic finals | 2004 Summer Paralympics: 100 m (T44) – Bronze; 200 m (T44) – Gold 2008 Summer Paralympics: 100 m (T44) – Gold, 200 m (T44) – Gold; 400 m (T44) – Gold 2012 Summer Paralympics: 200 m (T44) – Silver; 4 × 100 m relay – Gold; Men's 400 m (T44) – Gold |
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| Highest world ranking | 100 m: 1st (2008)[4] 200 m: 1st (2008)[5] 400 m: 1st (2008)[6] |
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| Personal best(s) | 100 m (T44): 10.91 s (2007, WR)[7] 200 m (T44): 21.30 s (2012, WR)[8] 400 m: 45.07 s[9] |
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Medal record[hide]
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| Updated on 6 September 2012. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius (/pɪsˈtɔriəs/; born 22 November 1986) is a South African sprint
runner. Although both of Pistorius' legs were amputated below the knee
when he was 11 months old, he competes in events for single below-knee
amputees and for able-bodied athletes.
At the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, Pistorius became the first amputee to win an able-bodied world track medal. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Pistorius became the first double leg amputee to participate in the Olympics when he entered the men's 400 metres and 4 × 400 metres relay races. At the 2012 Summer Paralympics,
Pistorius won gold medals in the men's 400 metre race and in the
4 × 100 metres relay, setting world records in both events. He also took
a silver in the 200 metres race, having set a world record in the
semifinal.
On 14 February 2013, Pistorius was charged with the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, whom he had fatally shot at his home in the early hours of that morning.[10] He was granted bail eight days later and must appear before court in June 2013.
Early years and education
Oscar Pistorius was born to Henke and Sheila Pistorius on 22 November 1986 in Sandton, Johannesburg, in what was then Transvaal Province (now Gauteng Province) of South Africa.[1] He grew up in a Christian home,[11] and has an elder brother, Carl, and a younger sister, Aimée.[12][13] Pistorius credits his late mother, who died at the age of 43 when Pistorius was 15 years old, as a major influence in his life.[14][15] He is a white South African with Italian ancestry from his mother's grandfather, an Italian emigrant to Kenya.[16][17]
Pistorius was born with fibular hemimelia
(congenital absence of the fibula) in both legs. When he was 11 months
old, his legs were amputated halfway between his knees and ankles.[3] He attended Constantia Kloof Primary School[18] and Pretoria Boys High School,[1][19] where he played rugby union in the school's third XV team.[20] He played water polo and tennis at provincial level between the ages of 11 and 13.[20] In addition, Pistorius took part in club Olympic wrestling,[20][21][22] and trained at Jannie Brooks's garage gym in Pretoria, South Africa.[23]
After a serious rugby knee injury in June 2003, he was introduced to
running in January 2004 while undergoing rehabilitation at the
University of Pretoria's High Performance Centre[24] with coach Ampie Louw, and "never looked back".[20]
His first racing blades were fitted by South African prosthetist
Francois van der Watt. Because he was unable to find suitable running
blades in Pretoria, van der Watt ordered some to be made by a local
engineer. However, as these quickly broke, van der Watt referred
Pistorius to American prosthetist and Paralympic sprinter Brian Frasure to be fitted for blades by Icelandic company Össur.[25][26]
Pistorius began studying for a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com.)[12] in business management with sports science at the University of Pretoria in 2006.[21][20][27]
In a June 2008 interview for his University's website, he joked: "I
won't graduate soon. With all the training I have had to cut down on my
subjects. Hopefully I'll finish by the time I'm 30!"[12]
Asked by a journalist for his "sporting motto", he said: "You're not
disabled by the disabilities you have, you are able by the abilities you
have."[20]
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