Pistorius awaits Olympic decision
Pistorius won the Helen Rollason Award on Sunday
Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius is set to learn whether he will be able to run at next year’s Beijing Olympic Games.
The 21-year-old had both legs amputated below the knee as a child and runs on carbon fibre blades.
Athletics’ governing body, the IAAF, has carried out testing on the blades and will make a decision this month.
“Over the last four years, I think 95% of my races have been able-bodied races but it’s now that I want to compete at international level,” he told 5 Live.
Not only Paralympic sprinters use them, but everyday sportsmen do too
Oscar Pistorius
“Now that my times are permitting me, I’d like to run in the Olympics as well if I get the opportunity.”
The 400 metre runner has lowered the Paralympic world mark to 46.56 seconds.
But debate continues over whether he receives an advantage over able-bodied runners from his prosthetic legs.
“The decision rests on the prosthetic legs,” he added.
"There has been criticism of the prosthetics and basically they’ve got to see whether the prosthetic legs actually give me an advantage or are in fact a disadvantage.
"The prosthetic legs that I run on have been around for the last 16 years - not only Paralympic sprinters use them, but everyday sportsmen do too.
“The previous world record before I was running was a 51.2 seconds in the 400 but nobody’s running the same times as I’m running.”
Pistorius won the Helen Rollason Award, which goes to an athlete showing courage in the face of adversity, at the BBC Sports Personality show on Sunday.