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The fastest man on no legs

By Tasos Calantzis - July 22, 2007

in Materials | Tech

They call him the Blade Runner, and watching him run is a curiously futuristic experience. Ridiculously rapid double amputee, Oscar Pistorius, recently took his first second place against able-bodied athletes and now stands a chance of Olympic eligibility. The thing is; 20-year old Pistorius is simply way faster than any other amputee. Already the 100m, 200m and 400m world record holder at the Paralympics, he is also faster than the women's times from the 2004 Olympics.

Ossur, the company that manufactures Pistorius's blades, was featured last week in a BusinessWeek article on their incredible new lifelike foot. However their athletics racing blades haven't changed fundamentally in a decade. Granted, Ossur continually refines the shaping, improves the aerodynamics and other details, making Oscar Pistorius the only Olympic sprinting hopeful with an engineering team working on his legs.

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Alex Bayless

16 years ago

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I gotta be honest, the guy is a total badass. It is very impressive but i do agree its not a fair race. I mean i hate to say a record holder cant be in the Olympics but it has tn be fair.
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jasmine folkes

16 years ago

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i dont really know what to say, you are GIFTED, man i gotta say you are GREAT.
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Paul

16 years ago

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I am able bodied, except for my missing right hand. Let me train and run with the help of an engineering team to enhance my legs. Does that really sound fair? How about letting athletes juice? I'm sorry he doesn't have legs, but the whole idea is mano a mano...
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Red

16 years ago

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The Blade Runner is without fast twitch muscle fibers in his legs. He has no ankle joints, no lower leg muscles for stability. He is at a tremendous disadvantage to all "able bodied" sprinters. Those sockets on those legs are not a part of his limbs thus he has to deal with things like air or sweat getting in there and thus affecting his balance and alignment of his blades as well.

You watch too much science fiction. Oscar Pistorius isn't a real life Steve Austin. We actually don't have the technology to build the worlds first bionic man...
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Michael Vogt

16 years ago

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Let him compete with non-mechanical feet! Otherwise don't let any of the other runners use shoes! That is one sure way of winning! Eliminate the competition.

Unless all the runners are going to run barefoot and naked anything can be considered an unfair advantage.

Michael

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Dan

17 years ago

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Unless other non-handicapped athletes are also allowed to use prosthetics this whole thing seems extremely unfair.
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valxcurry

17 years ago

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I am glad to hear that he is now being considered eligible for the able bodied olympics.
It was an outrage that there was opposition to him competing because his prosthetics may have given him an unfair advantage.

The man has no feet, for pete's sake.
What are people afraid of.
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