Sports

Pistorius wins 100 meters at Paralympic Games in Beijing

by Amy Judd | September 9, 2008 at 08:55 am

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Double-amputee Oscar Pistorius won the 100 meter sprint earlier today at the Paralympic Games, and although he did not beat his own world record time, it was still an impressive run.

Pistorius, nicknamed "Blade Runner" because of his carbon-fiber prosthetic legs, finished in 11.17 seconds at the Bird's Nest stadium, about a quarter of a second slower than his world mark of 10.91 set last year.

Pistorius surged past Jerome Singleton of the United States in the closing stages to take the title in the T44 class, with another American, Brian Frasure, coming in third.

Marlon Shirley also of the United States fell down during the race. Pistorius is also hoping to win gold medals in the 200 and 400 meters.

"Regardless of what the time was, I'm really happy," Pistorius, 21, told reporters.

Pistorius, from South Africa, had his legs amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old, and has broken more than 20 Paralympic world marks. He also holds the world record for the 100, 200, and 400 sprints.
However, he almost wasn't able to compete in the games at all.

The International Association of Athletics Federations, track's ruling body, ruled that Pistorius's J-shaped carbon fiber blades gave him an advantage and barred him from competing against able-bodied athletes. In May, he won a ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport that overturned the ban.

But he failed to make the Olympic qualifying standard for the 400-meter individual sprint. The South African Olympic Committee bypassed him for its 1,600-meter relay team for the Beijing Games.