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.
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.
Olympic Milestone
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.
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."
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.
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."
Personal life
Pistorius has two visible tattoos. The dates of his mother's birth and death ("LVIII V VIII – II III VI" – 8 May 1958 – 6 March 2002) are tattooed on the inside of his right arm. The other tattoo, which is on his back, is the Bible verse 1 Corinthians 9:26 which begins, "I do not run like a man running aimlessly."
Pistorius enjoys motorbiking, and owns and breeds race horses. He owns a house in South Africa but trains for the European season in Gemona del Friuli, Italy, and is a supporter of Italian Serie A football club Lazio. His interests also include architecture. In an interview for the website Art of Being Alive published on 24 September 2012 he said: "I've always been intrigued by buildings and architecture. That's one of the perks of traveling that you get to see so many amazing places. Who knows? After athletics I might get into it."
Pistorius's autobiography, Dream Runner, was published in Italian in 2008 with Gianni Merlo, a journalist with La Gazzetta dello Sport. An English version entitled Blade Runner was released in 2009.
In February 2009, Pistorius was seriously injured when he was thrown from a boat in an accident on the Vaal River near Johannesburg. He was airlifted to Milpark Hospital where he underwent surgery to repair broken facial bones including his nose and jaw. There were initial concerns about his fitness, but he recovered fully. However, the accident affected his training and running schedule for that year.
In October 2012, Pistorius was scheduled as an amateur player in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship held at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns in Scotland. Pistorius has a 21 handicap in South Africa, but played off an 18 handicap for the Championship. In 2010 he played in the Laureus World Sports Awards Golf Challenge at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and the Help-net Fund Celebrity Charity Golf Day.
On 19 April 2010, Pistorius appeared on L'isola dei famosi, an Italian version of Celebrity Survivor. On 7 January 2012, he appeared as a special guest on the Italian version of Dancing with the Stars called Ballando con le Stelle at Auditorium Rai in Rome, where he danced a tango with Annalisa Longo to ABBA's "The Winner Takes It All". On 9 October 2012, Pistorius appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He was also scheduled to appear on Piers Morgan Tonight and the Larry King Now show at later dates.
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