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Amputee sprinter Pistorius fails to make South African Olympic team |
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Written by Sabrina Shankman, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Friday, 18 July 2008 |
Oscar Pistorius from South Africa competes in the men's 400 meters competition at the EAA athletics meeting in the Allmend stadium in Lucerne, Switzerland, on Wednesday July, 16, 2008. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/KEYSTONE/Urs Flueeler
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JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - Double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius will not compete for South Africa against able-bodied athletes at the Beijing Olympics after failing to make the roster for the 1,600-metre relay team.
Pistorius, who recently won the right to compete against able-bodied athletes in an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, failed to meet the qualifying standard in the 400 metres. He had hoped to be chosen as an alternate for the 1,600 relay, but his name was not on the roster announced Friday.
Athletics South Africa president Leonard Chuene said four other runners had faster times, and two others were chosen as alternates.
Pistorius battled the International Association of Athletics Federations for the right to run. In May, the Court of Arbitration ruled against the IAAF, saying his carbon fibre prosthetic blades did not provide an unfair advantage against able-bodied athletes.
But Pistorius fell short of the 400 qualifying time of 45.55 seconds, despite running a personal best 46.25 on Wednesday at a meet in Lucerne, Switzerland. The 21-year-old Pistorius, who said his legal battles prevented him from focusing on training, had acknowledged it might be more realistic to aim for the 2012 London Olympics.
Pistorius plans to run at the Sept. 6-17 Paralympic Games in Beijing. He holds the Paralympic world record of 46.56 in the 400.
Efforts to reach Pistorius were not immediately successful. His manager, Peet Van Zyl, said considering Pistorius' recent times, he didn't expect the runner to be asked to join the team.
"From the beginning, we knew that he had to qualify," Van Zyl said. "We didn't expect him to be granted any special opportunity or anything. The rules are the rules."
The International Olympic Committee said it was South Africa's decision to make.
"They pick the athletes who they think should go to the games," IOC spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau said.
The IAAF said Thursday that it fully supported Pistorius' bid to run at the Olympics, despite comments made earlier this week by general secretary Pierre Weiss. He expressed concerns that the blade-like prosthetics could cause injury to other runners while jockeying for position.
The comments "have no effect on the official eligibility of Oscar Pistorius, nor should they be misconstrued as a personal attack on Oscar," the IAAF said in a statement.
On Wednesday, the New York legal firm of Dewey and Leboeuf, which represents Pistorius, threatened legal action against the IAAF. It demanded that the IAAF withdraw a statement that the body did not have the resources to check the legality of Pistorius' blades each time he ran.
Pistorius was born without fibulas - the long, thin outer bone between the knee and ankle - and was 11 months old when his legs were amputated below the knee.
Troy Engle, coach of the U.S. Paralympic track and field team, said he knew it was "a bubble decision" to add Pistorius to the South Africa relay team.
"He did get darn close, and he ran well, especially in Europe," Engle said in a telephone interview from Houston. "To come back as well as he did with limited preparation is a testament to his talent as an athlete."
Engle said Pistorius' case against the IAAF was closely followed in and out of track circles.
"Everybody wanted to see that the decision was based on science and a commitment to a fair playing field rather than to emotion," he said. "There's not another story that brought more attention to the Paralympic movement than Oscar Pistorius. He's been a wonderful ambassador for our movement, and I'm obviously disappointed for him."
But Engle expects Pistorius to dominate in the 100, 200 and 400 events during the Paralympic Games.
"We'll try to keep Oscar off the podium as much as we can," he said.
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AP Sports Writer Melissa Murphy in New York contributed to this report.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 18 July 2008 )
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