* Pistorius to compete in 400 metres and 4×400 relay
* First double-amputee to compete on track at Olympic Games
* One of the proudest days of my life, he says
(Adds details)
JOHANNESBURG, July 4 (Reuters) – Double-amputee Oscar
Pistorius will compete in the individual 400 metres and the
4x400m relay for South Africa at the London Olympics, a member
of South Africa’s Olympic federation said on Wednesday.
Pistorius’s inclusion in the relay team meant the
double-amputee athlete would also be able to take part in the
400m individual race, Tubby Reddy, chief executive of South
Africa’s Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc)
said.
Pistorius, who races wearing carbon fibre prosthetic blades,
will become the first double-amputee athlete to compete on the
track at an Olympic Games.
His chance of taking in the 400m individual event looked to
have eluded him when he failed to reach a second A qualifying
standard time before Sascoc’s cut-off on June 30.
The 25-year-old, known as the ‘Blade Runner, had achieved
the A qualifying time once this season when he clocked 45.20 in
South Africa in March but Sascoc required their athletes to
achieve the time twice, with one of the times being at an
international meet.
However, Pistorius’s inclusion on the relay team opened up
his opportunity to race in the 400m.
Continued…
