By Patrick Lannin
June 27 (Reuters) – While South African athlete Oscar
Pistorius attempts to become the first amputee runner to compete
at the Olympic Games, scientists are still arguing whether his
artificial limbs give him a critical advantage or not.
Pistorius, born without fibulas and who had his lower legs
amputated when a baby, uses carbon fibre prosthetic running
blades and is hoping to qualify for the 400 metres at the Games.
Pistorius beat the Olympic qualifying time of 45.30 in
Pretoria in March but must repeat that performance in an
international meeting before June 30 to make the team for the
London Games which start on Jul y 27 .
Pistorius, who has a personal best is 45.07 , won the 100,
200 and 400 gold medals at the 2008 Paralympic Games. He also
became the first amputee to compete at the athletics world
championships when he ran in Daegu, South Korea last year.
“The science is fully clear that … Mr. Pistorius runs
considerably faster with his artificial limbs,” said Peter
Weyand, associate professor of Applied Physiology and
Biomechanics at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
He said in an email that the findings, with Matthew Bundle,
assistant professor at the University of Montana’s Department of
Health and Human Performance, al so showed P istorius h ad an
adv antage over one legged amputees.
Pistorius has already won a legal case to compete against
able-bodied athletes after the Court of Arbitration for Sport in
2008 overturned a ban which had been imposed by the
International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
The court said its ruling applied only to Pistorius and only
to the type of artificial limb he uses and that the IAAF had
failed to prove its case.
Continued…
