Eight facts on Oscar Pistorius: The Olympic runner with no legs

Oscar Pistorius has just created history. The double amputee will finally realise his dream of participating in the London Olympics, after he was named to South Africa’s 4x400m mens relay team. Pistorius will be the first amputee to run in the Olympics. Known as the ‘Blade runner’ Pistorius’ story is a compelling one. Here are a few facts about the man who is creating Olympic history just by his participation. * Pistorius failed to qualify for the Beijing Olympics by less than a quarter of a second [caption id=“attachment_367313” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Pistorius is the first amputee to participate in the Olympics: Reuters[/caption]* Pistorius grew up playing sports with his older brother, and says that he had a largely normal childhood. “When my brother and I woke up in the morning would tell me to put on my legs and my brother to put on his shoes. That was the only indication I had that anything was different, he says in this excellent interview with The Guardian. * He got involved in track because of a rugby injury. Rehab for the injury necessitated him getting involved in athletics, and the rest, as they say, is history. * On 14 January 2008, the IAAF ruled him ineligible for competitions conducted under its rules, including the 2008 Summer Olympics. This decision was reversed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on 16 May 2008, the Court ruling overall there was no evidence that Pistorius had any net advantage over able-bodied athletes. * His sporting motto is: “You’re not disabled by the disabilities you have, you are able by the abilities you have.” * His timings of 10.91 seconds in the 100m and 21.58 seconds in the 200m are the disability sports world records in these respective events. * Once on a whim, Pistorius bought two tiger cubs who he says, grew at an ‘alarming rate’. They are now in Canada on the estate of a man who collects animals. * He was in a boating accident in 2009, which almost killed him. Pistorius says the incident helped him realign his life and take less risks.