May 16, 2008
Turning lemons into lemonade
Remember that old bromide "If life hands you lemons, make lemonade"? Double amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius improved on this, deciding that if life deprived him of his lower legs he would compete in regular Olympic races with prosthetic limbs. And now, the Olympic committee in charge of deciding who is qualified agreed with him. Nico Hines of the UK Times has the story. Ruling that Pistorius' artificial limbs with high carbon blades do not provide any physical or mechanical advantage,
"The panel was not persuaded that there was sufficient evidence of any metabolic advantage in favour of a double-amputee using the Cheetah Flex-Foot," the CAS ruling said."Furthermore, the CAS panel has considered that the IAAF did not prove that the biomechanical effects of using this particular prosthetic device gives Oscar Pistorius an advantage over other athletes not using the device."
No Iron Man he, known as "the fastest man on no legs," but rather,
(photo credit: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty)"He is an inspirational man and we look forward to admiring his achievements in the future," said Lamine Diack, the IAAF president. "Oscar will be welcomed wherever he competes this summer."