Oscar Pistorius grins with delight whenever he is introduced as "The Fastest Thing On No Legs". Double amputee world record holder over 100, 200 and 400m, the 21-year-old South African does not regard himself as physically impaired in any way. "I'm not disabled," he told me during a brief visit to London, "I just don't have any legs."
Having failed to qualify for the Olympics after a prolonged battle with the IAAF as to whether the carbon fibre blades on which he runs constitute an unfair advantage, Pistorius will be one of the superstars of the Beijing Paralympics where he will compete in the 100m, 200m (the title he won in Athens four years ago) and 400m. Should there be any misguided souls out there who are thinking "Oh, bless" allow me to disabuse you of the notion. Pistorius's 400m world record of 46.25secs - the previous mark stood at 51.80secs - would have been good enough to win gold at every Olympic Games up to 1932.
Born without the fibula in both legs and missing a number of other bones besides, Pistorius was 11-months-old when his parents, Hende and Sheila, having consulted every medical expert the world over, reluctantly signed the papers agreeing to have their young son's limbs amputated beneath the knee. "When people ask me what it's like having artificial legs I reply, 'I don't know, what's it like having real legs?' To all intents and purposes, I was born like this and it's all I know.
"In some ways, it's a positive advantage. If I come off my motorbike at home and graze my leg, I don't feel a thing. Yeah, sometimes it's a bit of a hassle; if I get them wet, say, then I have to leave them to dry in the sun. There are worse things in life," muses Pistorius, who was 15 when his mother died after suffering an allergic reaction to a medication. "I could not have wished for better parents because they brought me up exactly the same way as my elder brother, Carl, and younger sister, Aimee. And if I ever have a disabled kid I would follow mum and dad's example. If my child tripped and cut his head open, of course I would do something about it, but if he fell and just started crying then there's no point in making a great fuss.
"Anyway, what is disabled? Some people view themselves as disabled because they have one or two disabilities. But what about the millions of abilities they have? So what if you have a leg or two missing? Okay, you might not be able to run and jump but there are so many other things you can do." Pistorius was introduced to athletics by chance in Jan 2004 when he shattered his right knee on the rugby field and was sent to the University of Pretoria - one of the southern hemisphere's leading sport and academic facilities - for rehabilitation.
A natural talent, eight months later he found himself competing against the two American superstars - Marlon Shirley and Brian Frasure - at the Athens Paralympics. So overcome by the sense of occasion was he that, in his 100m qualifying heat, Pistorius exploded from the blocks and fell flat on his face before picking himself up to reach the final where he took the silver medal behind Shirley. He won the 200m gold in a world record time of 21.97secs (since lowered to 21.58).
If officialdom permits Pistorius to become an Olympian, he will never forget that first and foremost, he remains a Paralympian. "Running in the Olympics would be amazing but in many ways the Paralympics are even more special. Why? The passion the athletes have for their sport in unbelievable. The cerebral palsy runners know their condition can't get any better but I defy anyone to watch them and not see them as fully dedicated athletes who train as hard as any Olympian. Before I was exposed to the Paralympics, like most people I thought they were second best in some way. How wrong can you be? In the Olympics of 2016, I firmly believe each and every finalist in each and every Paralympic event will have an Olympic qualifying time."
At home in his native South Africa, Pistorius is as much a role model as any of the nation's cricketers or rugby players. "If I can inspire one kid who's going through a bad time or has lost a leg to take up sport, then that would be wonderful. There's a 13-year-old lad called Dieter, who I met when he played the young me during the filming of a TV advertisement, who runs like the wind. Wouldn't it be wonderful if I stood in lane four of the Paralympic 200m final in London 2012 with Dieter lined up alongside me?"
Oscar Pistorius is not a disabled gold medallist and world record holder, merely a gold medallist and world record holder with no legs. sports@thenational.ae
