New Delhi: A 20-year-old South African is hoping to become the first disabled runner to compete at the Summer Olympics in Beijing in 2008.
In fact, the International Association of Athletics Federation has allowed Oscar Pistorius to participate in the Beijing Olympics. Both his legs were amputated when he was just 11-months-old.
But with his carbon-fibre limbs, Pistorius completes a dash of 100 metres in less than 11 seconds.
Pistorius holds a number of world records in the disabled athletes category.
The Athletics' Federation had introduced a rule preventing anyone from using a technical device from competing in the Olympics, but relaxed this for Pistorius.
He argues that his performances are in spite of the blades, not because of them.
"It gives you a big disadvantage. You don't have your ankle movement, you have less blood. You don't have the blood which you would have in your limbs so lactic acid forms a lot quicker because you have less blood. Obviously, you don't have your ankle or your calf muscles so other muscles have to compensate for that. In my opinion, every muscle that's in your body has its own function so, you know, whether it be my hamstring having to do some of the function for calf muscle, something like that, other muscles have to compensate," Pistorius says.
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