Pistorius Qualifies for WC

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Amputee Sprinter Pistorius Qualifies for Track & Field Worlds, Olympics

Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee South African sprinter, made the qualifying time for this year’s track and field world championships and the 2012 London Olympics with a personal-best in the 400 meters.

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Known as the “Blade Runner,” Pistorius achieved the ‘A’ standard qualifying time of 45.25 seconds and will now need to be selected in South Africa’s team in order to become the first amputee sprinter to compete at the world championships, which take place Aug. 27-Sept. 4 in Daegu, South Korea.

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Athletics South Africa yesterday named its provisional squad of 21 athletes before Pistorius’s run. Last night was his final chance to qualify for Daegu and came two days after he clocked 46.65 seconds in Padua, Italy.

Pistorius, a four-time gold medalist in the Paralympics, smashed his personal best of 45.61 seconds. His time of 45.07 is tied for the 16th fastest 400 meters in the world this year with Jamaica’s Jermaine Gonzales. Rondell Bartholomew of Grenada heads the 2011 list at 44.65 seconds.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-20/amputee-sprinter-pistorius-qualifies-for-track-field-worlds-olympics.html

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Very interesting…

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Congrats to Pistorius for the great achievement

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Im wondering how much of an advantage those cybernetics is giving him. Im sure they are lighter than human legs. Does he have to deal with latic acid in the leg area? How long until people start to throw the jav with arms like jax from mkombat.

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1sec PR? New legs?

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There was an thread in the old forum asking the same thing Chris6878. Charlie drove the thread pretty hard with his responses.

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Video of the race

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I think this article sums it all: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/14222922.stm

I found it interesting that on the IAAF page, there is no mention of Pistorius’ great fit. Maybe they are reconsidering their decision?! LOL.

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I thought there was an article a while back that clearly stated he had a large disadvantage. IMO he does have one, and a big one at that. Emotionally, it is a great story, and I hate to be the bad guy, but I dont see it as legitimate. The quicker response and transfer of the gct forces, and difference in fatigue factors, just seem to be all in favor for him. I mean we all know that tendon stiffness is of great importance to sprinters especially the longer sprints, and my guess is the stiffness from those “blades” are far superior to the human body.

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http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/more-sports/experts-say-south-africas-blade-runner-oscar-pistorius-gains-advantage-from-his-technology/story-e6frey6i-1226098710018

Experts say South Africa’s ‘blade runner’ Oscar Pistorius gains advantage from his technology
• Mike Hurst
• From:The Daily Telegraph, Sydney Australia
• July 21, 201112:00AM

Running into trouble: Blade runner Oscar Pistorius has qualified for the able-bodied world championships. Picture: AP Source: AFP

FOUR years after the Court of Arbitration for Sport cleared Oscar Pistorius to compete in able-bodied athletics, South Africa’s “blade runner” yesterday qualified to run the 400m at next month’s world athletics championships in Daegu, South Korea.

A double below-knee amputee almost from birth, Pistorius, 24, ran a personal best of 45.07sec to win in Lignano, Italy. His time betters the stiff IAAF entry mark of 45.25sec, which no Australian has clocked this year.

Pistorius’ time would have won the Australian title in April by about 3m.

So now, with intersex Caster Semenya to defend the women’s 800m title captured two years ago in Berlin, and Pistorius to race in the men’s 400m, the world championships are set to be overwhelmed by South Africa’s controversial causes celebre.

It is not that Pistorius should not be cheered for his courage and persistence, but the scientists whose work convinced CAS judges to support him because he has “no significant advantage” through the technology of his carbon fibre limbs have changed their minds.

Exercise physiology professors Peter Weyand and Matthew Bundle provided the scientific proof which persuaded CAS to clear the Cheetah blades worn by Pistorius.

But they claim to have made their conclusions based on incomplete evidence at the time.

They have since concluded - and published their findings in the Journal of Applied Physiology - that Pistorius’ prosthetics provide a significant advantage. They calculate the artificial limbs take as much as 10 seconds off the 400m time he could have run had he been born with lower legs.

“We are pleased to be able to finally go public with conclusions that the publishing process has required us to keep confidential,” Bundle and Weyand stated. “We recognised that the blades provide a major advantage as soon as we analysed the critical data.”

The scientists have found Pistorius’ blades enable him to reach speed while applying 20 per cent less ground force than an able-bodied sprinter.
He also has a stride rate advantage, turning his levers over “15.7 per cent more rapidly than five of the most recent former world record-holders in the 100m dash”.

They further found that his blades “reduce the muscle forces Pistorius requires for sprinting to less than half of intact-limb levels”.

With the command of his blades he now has, and the speed he can generate with the superb economy of energy, Pistorius could win a 400m medal in Daegu. Trinidad’s Renny Quow won bronze in Berlin in 45.02sec. Pistorius’ 45.07sec ranks him 15th fastest man in the world this year.

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I found this quite interesting. I’m wondering whose decision it was to keep these findings ‘confidential’? If I was Pistorius, I would be very, very, extremely pissed.

These findings should have been made public as early as possible… Not after the guy has finally realized his dream (after working very hard to get where he is).

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The science of sport blog had a number of posts about this. Short version: Pistorius runs his races at a pace that is completely non-physiological, not showing the normal fatigue pattern and speed dropoff. He gets a huge ADVANTAGE from his blades.

Here’s one of them
http://www.sportsscientists.com/2007/07/oscar-pistorius-science-and-engineering.html

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Good get MiniMoe. I am extremely intrigued that Pistorius’ performance was restricted in reportage on the IAAF home page to one sentence buried deep in the Lignano report which led on the US men’s 4x1 relay. I’m not suggesting the IAAF media dept has tried to hose down expectations on Oscar but it may be that there is some stirring of activity in Monte Carlo where decision of eligibility will be taken. They already have a big enough drama shaping up with Semenya’s title defence. The South Africans are quite a headache for the IAAF. But I also have sympathy for the IAAF who have to rule on these difficult questions, presumably in favour of the vast majority while still adopting a humane approach to those beset by such unusual conditions (intersex, double leg amputee). It is truly a brave new world. At least Semenya appears to have come back to the pack since presumably being ordered to take androgen blockers and “female hormones”.

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Well said, KitKat1.

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That was a great blog, thanks for sharing.

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[QUOTE=lylemcd;238025]The science of sport blog had a number of posts about this. Short version: Pistorius runs his races at a pace that is completely non-physiological, not showing the normal fatigue pattern and speed dropoff. He gets a huge ADVANTAGE from his blades.

Here’s one of them
http://www.sportsscientists.com/2007/07/oscar-pistorius-science-and-engineering.html[/QUOTE

Lyle thanks for providing the science, as ever :slight_smile: