By Mitch Phillips
LONDON Aug 5 (Reuters) – Oscar Pistorius failed in his bid
to reach the Olympic 400 metres final on Sunday when the South
African double-amputee finished last in his semi-final.
Pistorius, who races wearing carbon fibre prosthetic blades
after being born without a fibula in both legs, is the first
double-amputee to run in the Games and was given a rapturous
welcome when he went out on to the track.
The pace was too hot for him, though and, just as at last
year’s world championships, he finished last in his race in
46.54 seconds, way down on the 45.44 season’s best he posted in
the first round.
Immediately after finishing, heat winner and world champion
Kirani James, the 19-year-old Grenadian, swapped his pinned-on
name label with Pistorius, who will also run in the 4x400m
relay, as the two men embraced.
Luguelin Santos, the 18-year-old junior world champion from
the Dominican Republic, made the final while the fastest
qualifier was Trinidad Tobago’s Lalonde Gordon.
(Editing by Ed Osmond)
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