The Blade Runner

Think about what it’d be like to run with only artificial legs. Now imagine trying qualify for your country’s Olympic team in the 400-meter dash with those same legs. That’s exactly what Oscar Pistorius will try to do this summer.

Oscar is a man from South Africa who lost both of his real legs because they were missing a major bone, the fibula. He’s been winning championships and setting world records since 2004 in the 100, 200, and 400-meter dashes for special Olympics competitions and now wants to compete in the regular Olympics this August in China. But the man known around the track as “The Blade Runner” hasn’t gotten this far without some challenges.

Oscar runs his races using manmade legs made of J-shaped carbon and some scientists said that they helped Oscar run without getting tired as fast as other sprinters. In January, the IAAF, which manages all track and field competitions around the world, said Oscar’s legs were so unfair that he should not be allowed to run in the August Olympics.

Oscar fought back by running in several trials where scientists from the United States studied the energy he spent on running his races and how he dealt different conditions (like weather). They found that Oscar faced just as many challenges as anyone else, and in May of this year, the court that keeps track of all Olympic events around the world ruled that Oscar could run in the trials for the South African team.

The Blade Runner still has a lot of things to do. To make his country’s team, Oscar must run ¼ of a mile in 45.95 seconds, about ½ a second faster than his best time in the event, but the runner known as the “fastest man with no legs” is pretty confident.

What do you think? Do you think Oscar can make the South African team with his manmade legs? Even if he makes the team, should he be allowed to run? Are his legs cheating or just part of an amazing story?