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Friday 3 March 2017

Oscar Pistorius

Oscar Pistorius was born to Henke and Sheila Pistorius on November 22, 1986 in Sandton, Johannesburg, in what was then Transvaal Province (now Gauteng Province) of South Africa.

Oscar Pistorius By User:Kaston -  Wikipedia
He had his lower legs amputated at the age of 11 months, having been born without a fibula in either leg.

Oscar's parents were advised that having the amputation done before he had learned to walk would be less traumatic.

By the age of two, had his first pair of prosthetic legs.

In June 2003, Pistorius shattered his knee playing rugby and on the advice of doctors took up track running to aid his rehabilitation.

Pistorius started competing in T44 (single below-knee amputees) events though he is actually classified in T43 (double below knee amputee.) He took part in the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens and won gold in the the T44 (one leg amputated below the knee) 200-metre event in a world record time of 21.97 seconds, beating a pair of American runners both possessing a single amputation, Marlon Shirley and Brian Frasure.

Oscar Pistorius during 2011 World championships Athletics in Daegu

At the 2012 London Summer Paralympics, Pistorius won gold medals in the men's 400 metre race in a Paralympic record time of 46.68 seconds and in the 4 × 100 metres relay in a world record time of 41.78 seconds.

Sometimes referred to as the "Blade Runner," Pistorius has won six Paralympic gold medals in total, including three at the Beijing Games.

After becoming a Paralympic champion, Pistorius attempted to enter non-disabled international competition, over persistent objections of the IAAF and charges that his artificial limbs gave an unfair advantage. He first ran in international competitions for able-bodied athletes in 2007.

In 2011, Pistorius competed in the Athletics World Championships, and as part of South Africa's silver-medal-winning relay team, he became the first amputee to win an able-bodied world track medal.

At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Pistorius became the first double-leg amputee to compete in the Olympics, after a long legal battle.


On February 14, 2013, Pistorius fatally shot his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, in his Pretoria home. He claimed he had mistaken Steenkamp for an intruder hiding in the bathroom, but he was arrested and charged with murder.


Pistorius was found not guilty of murder, but was convicted of culpable homicide. He received a five-year prison sentence and a concurrent three-year suspended prison sentence for a separate reckless endangerment conviction.

Prosecutors asked the sentencing judge for permission to appeal the verdict. The Appeal Court overturned the culpable homicide verdict and on July 6, 2016 Pistorius was sentenced to six years imprisonment for murder.

Pistorius was freed on parole on January 5, 2024, after serving nine years of his 13-year sentence for the culpable homicide of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. He will remain on parole until December 2029 and subject to strict conditions, including house arrest during certain hours and restrictions on alcohol consumption.

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