Oscar Pistorius fails to qualify for the Olympics

It seems like the endless legal struggle to be allowed to compete in the Olympics took its toll on cyborg sprinter Oscar Pistorious -- he didn't qualify for the South African Olympic team on Wednesday, after failing to run the 400 under the 45.55 second minimum required to make the trip to Beijing. Interestingly, Pistorious's 46.25-second time was his best ever, even though critics claimed that the double-amputee's "Cheetah" prosthetics allowed him to use only 25 percent of the energy used by traditional runners. That's not the last we'll see of Oscar, though -- he says he's happy with his season's results, and he'll be back to try out for the 2012 Games in London.

[iTone Posted Jul 18th 2008 8:50PM]

whoomp there it is.

[SepticalSceptic Posted Jul 18th 2008 8:54PM]

It's not like the botton half of the leg is dead weight - he's also missing the muscles down there that help with balance and add extra propulsion.

[ethana2 Posted Jul 19th 2008 12:34AM]

Yeah, it may be 'less energy', but somehow it seems like a lot more accidents waiting to happen..

[idiot Posted Jul 18th 2008 9:07PM]

So I guess the "Cheetah" never prospered after all...






sorry

[nightbloom Posted Jul 18th 2008 9:18PM]

He's probably the most 'natural' runner on the track, in spite of the legs. No way he'd risk getting caught with banned substances in his system with all that attention already on him, and given that he's clearly committed to making his point-in-principle.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 18th 2008 10:00PM]

i do wish i can see him in Beijing this year!
------------------------------------------------------------
忆忆： http://yiyi519.blog.sohu.com/

[mp3 Posted Jul 18th 2008 10:38PM]

I don't know, but your priorities order is messed up. Sell your iPhone if you need to eat.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 18th 2008 10:59PM]

So if an amputated boxer loses his hands, and gets a solid titanium bowling ball-shaped prosthesis... that's ok?

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 19th 2008 1:13AM]

Honestly, if he can swing those damn things around fast enough, I say go for it.

[z0phi3l Posted Jul 18th 2008 11:41PM]

At least he can now go to the Special Olympics (where he belongs) and get the Gold medal he so desperately wants

[hiko36 Posted Jul 19th 2008 1:48AM]

Paralympics... It's Paralympics.

[Cobatts Posted Jul 19th 2008 12:31AM]

A 46.25 400? That just seems unreal. I think my PR is around 68. But then again, I'm only an XC runner.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 19th 2008 1:15AM]

The 400 is right at the boundary between sprinting and distance, and I think most of its runners are sprinters at heart. I know that some of the kids at my high school were getting 49/50 PRs.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 19th 2008 12:40AM]

I will trade you a Big Mac combo for that iPhone =)

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 19th 2008 11:03AM]

You mean, we'll have to live through all that "Oscar" stuff all over again in 2012? (Maybe the world will end before all that.)

[oahceasgnikgneas Posted Jul 19th 2008 12:12PM]

Possibly, but I thought the games began around about August or so? The world isn't scheduled to end until December 21, 2012. :)

[Sy Posted Jul 19th 2008 2:17AM]

Its a slippery slope if we allow him to compete. Where does it stops and who is the arbitrator what is an advantage and what is not? You can't predetermined a person's athletic ability. Technology, material, and design will improve. What is the cutoff?

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 19th 2008 2:32AM]

With steroids forever staying on the cutting edge of testing technology it's really hard to care about prosthetics. Top athletes are marketed as homegrown heroes but who are we kidding? At such ultra-competitive levels my hat's off to anyone out to win by any means necessary. Aren't we all out to win by any means in some way or another?

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 19th 2008 7:46PM]

I hope he is going to do the respectable thing... and start a BOB-SLED TEAM!

=)

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 19th 2008 4:58AM]

You will get to see him in Beijing, just 2 weeks later in the Paralympic Games.

[IRJ Posted Jul 19th 2008 10:50AM]

What an inspiration this guy is.
Even though he is highly "strung" Sori Mate no offence;)

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 21st 2008 1:55PM]

You bought yourself an Apple... eat it.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 19th 2008 7:46PM]

Qualifying or not, Oscar is an inspiration to the world and to all us South Africans... go boooooy!

Actually saw him on the road a few months ago driving his Honda sponsored Civic, he flew past me, lol had a good chuckle :)

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 20th 2008 3:57AM]

Regardless of what people think one way or another about this fellow running with prosthetics, it's amazing to me that he can even perform at that level to begin with.

It's also amazing to me that he's disqualified simply because of less than three-quarters of a second! That's the Olympics for ya. Every 1/100 of a second counts! Crazy.

Maybe he needs to shave the hair on his head real short to cut down on wind drag and reduce his time. Seriously. Every detail helps.

Shame he couldn't run this year. I would've liked to watch him perform.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 20th 2008 9:41AM]

I have done extensive research on Oscar. There is a report available online done by the a team of scientist and engineers which concluded through a battery of tests that Oscars fitness level was less then that of natural limbed competitors ( whom he would also beat).

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 21st 2008 1:39AM]

I was really pulling for him...a never say die attitude. Should be an inspiration for many!

[Blackfeather Posted Jul 21st 2008 2:02PM]

To be fair, though, he does have about 25% less body in which to store that energy...

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 21st 2008 3:08PM]

He wouldn't want to go the China anyway... he'd ruin his lungs.