By Neil Maidment
LONDON Aug 9 (Reuters) – South African double-amputee Oscar
Pistorius will run in the third leg of the men’s 4×400 metres
relay heats at the London Olympic Games on Thursday.
The sport’s governing body the IAAF said last year at the
world championships in South Korea that Pistorius, who races
wearing carbon fibre prosthetic blades after being born without
a fibula in both legs, had to run the first leg, which is run in
lanes, because of concerns about the safety of other athletes
during relay changeovers.
However, in the build-up to the Olympics IAAF President
Lamine Diack said it was not his organisation’s place to
determine the relay order, meaning South Africa could place
Pistorius in whichever leg they wished.
South Africa will run in the first of two heats which
includes medal contenders Trinidad and Tobago and Britain.
Nicknamed ‘Blade Runner’, who finished last in his men’s
Olympic 400m semi-final, has said that he runs best in the
second or third leg and has never had any incidents in previous
relay races.
Pistorius is the first double-amputee to run in the Games.
(Reporting by Neil Maidment)
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