Oscar, world record holder in the 100, 200 and 400 m Paralympic events, had a dream—to compete in the Beijing Olympics by qualifying for South Africa. In mid-January, however, his dream was dashed when the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) outlawed his prosthetic racing blades; the International Olympic Committee upheld that decision. The IAAF decision was based on the statement of German Professor Gert-Peter Brueggemann, who conducted tests on the prosthetic limbs and concluded that the blades might give the 21-year-old double-amputee sprinter a competitive edge. According to Professor Brueggemann, Pistorius`s energy consumption was less than that of able-bodied athletes of the same speed, allowing him to achieve considerable advantages, probably greater than 30%, over athletes without prosthetic limbs. In practice, athletes with artificial limbs need less additional energy than other athletes, once the runner hits a certain stride.
© Copyright 2008 British Journal of Sports Medicine. BMJ Publishing Group Ltd of the BMA. All rights reserved.