Double amputee Pistorius set to run in Olympics

Johannesburg: Oscar Pistorius has been selected to run in both the individual 400 metres and the 4x400-metre relay at the London Olympics and is set to become the first amputee track athlete to compete at any games.

In a surprising last-minute decision on Wednesday, South Africa's Olympic committee and national track federation cleared the double amputee to run in his individual event. The Olympic committee earlier announced that Pistorius had been picked only for the relay.

Olympic committee chief executive Tubby Reddy tells the Associated Press that the track body asked for permission to also allow Pistorius to run the 400, even though he had not met their qualifying criteria.

The 25-year-old Pistorius, who runs on carbon fiber blades, called it "one of the proudest days of my life."