Africa Oscar Pistorius : Biography

Youth :

South African sprint runner Oscar Pistorius was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1986. Born without a fibula in either of his legs, Pistorius’ legs were amputated below the knee just before he turned one. After competing in several school sports, he took up running at 16 and within just a few months had captured a gold at the 2004 Athens Paralympics. Initially banned from international competition,

Pistorius successfully appealed the ruling and at the 2012 Summer games in London became the first amputee to compete in the Olympics.

Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius, the first amputee athlete to compete in the Olympics, was born on November 22, 1986 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The son of Henk and Sheila Pistorius, Oscar Pistorius was the middle child of three. His family, while prominent in South Africa, were largely middle class.

Pistorius’s childhood was shaped partly by tragedy. His parents divorced when he was 6, a fact that largely contributed to a strained relationship between Oscar and his father, a businessman, that continues to this day. His mother died when he was 15, the result of drug complications following a hysterectomy. Pistorius’s own physical health was marred at birth. Born without a fibula in either of his legs, his parents made the difficult decision to have their son’s legs amputated below his knees just before his first birthday.

Within six months, Pistorius was walking successfully with a pair of prosthetic legs. His handicap hardly slowed his large interest in sports, which spanned from cricket to wrestling to boxing.

It wasn’t until he was 16, and in need of a sport that could help him rehab a knee following a rugby injury, that Pistorius was introduced to the track. His rise in the sport came quickly. In January 2004, he competed in his first 100-meter race’ nearly eight months later, Pistorius, wearing a pair of Flex-Foot Cheetahs, a light-weight carbon fiber foot, captured the gold medal in the 200-meter race at the 2004 Athens Paralympics.

Career : 

Following his win in Athens, Pistorius competed in several races in South Africa against able-bodied athletes. Success begat greater attention, and European race organizers were soon inviting Pistorius their events.

But Pistorius’s artificial legs have been a source of controversy throughout much of his athletic career. In 2007, the International Association of Athletic Foundations, the worldwide body that governs international competition, banned Pistorius from competing, stating that his artificial legs gave him an unfair advantage over able-bodied athletes in the competition. Pistorius immediately appealed the ruling and in May 2008, the Court of Arbitration for sport sided with the sprinter and overturned the I.A.A.F. ruling.

After missing the cut for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, a determined Pistorius focused his training on making the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. Along the way, Pistorius, who’s been nicknamed “Blade Runner” and has been called the “fastest man on no legs,” captured three gold medals at the 2011 IPC Athletic World Championships.

Two more titles followed, in the 400-meter and 100-meter, at the BT Paralympics World Cup.

Olympics games :

In the spring of 2012, Pistorius realized his ultimate dream when he qualified for the 400-meter race at the London Olympics. While he was eventually eliminated in the semifinal round, he secured his place in history by becoming the first amputee athlete to compete in the Olympics. To mark the occasion, Pistorius flew out his 89-year-old grandmother to watch him race. “It’s just an unbelievable experience,” Pistorius said shortly after his first Olympic race. “I found myself smiling on the starting blocks, which is very rare.”

Drama : 

On 14 February 2013, he is believed to have shot his wife, the model and presenter Reeva Steenkamp, at their home in Pretoria, hitting him in the head and arm. She is killed instantly.

Watch the videos :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB_g-RSIGfM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdyM0EUorqU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1L9McKLf38


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *