Oscar Pistorius [merged threads]

[RowleyBirkinQ.C(deceased)]

I can kind of see his argument, but complaining so much after the event did look like more than a touch of sour grapes. There was also an interesting little conversation on "the last leg" show on channel 4 last night about how double amputees are faster and much more efficient than single leg amputees. All about better balance, weight and the pure fact that real legs get injured and prone to the old lactic acid.

 

[Screaming J]

He thought he had the race won and switched off too early. Nobody's fault but his own!

 

[skipper734]

His complaints were certainly badly timed but surely he has a point; if the International Paralympic Committee allow longer blades than those deemed not to give an advantage by the IAAF, then in theory the athletes using the longer blades would have an advantage. Pistorius could wear longer blades for IPC events but that would mean training part of the time with one set of legs and part of the time with another. There needs to be consistency between the blade length allowed by the IPC and the IAAF - assuming that Paralympic athletes want to continue competing with "able-bodied" athletes.

To be able to compete in able-bodied events he had to go through lots of evaluation of the legs, which had to be of a certain length and not changed, so he ran in able bodied events.
The IPC then told him if he wanted to run with longer blades he would need to be evaluated all over again, if he had then run with longer blades in IPC Events he would have to be evaluated again to run in able-bodied events.
He would spend more time being evaluated than training.I guess his frustration was directed at the IPC who were aware of this point but not taking any notice.
Having said that it has taken away from Oliveira's victory, and in the end Pistorius defeated himself before he even started as he was aware that this could happen, he could have beaten Oliverira if he had run the same World Record time as he had run in his heat.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

They should give that honour to Richard Whitehead. Because he wasn't allowed, under the rules, to run the Marathon, he runs the 100m and 200m, and the most amazing thing his 200m was the most amazing thing I have seen so far

Pretty amazing then...

I do like, and respect, OP, but he is conveniently ignoring the fact that he ran slower last night than his heat. If his time in the final was a PB, then maybe he would have a point, but he set a world record the previous night over the same distance!

 

[Gazwag]

Pretty amazing then...

didn't re-read that post did I

 

[Falkor]

I just watched the race again, he was coasting in the last few meters the other lad was sprinting no wonder he caught up

 

[Surrey_Albion]

I just watched the race again, he was coasting in the last few meters the other lad was sprinting no wonder he caught up

Yep he certainly had a spring in his step

 

[Chicken Runner61]

I did think it a little strange for radio 4 to keep stating this morning that he had complained to the IPC but his calls kept falling on "deaf ears"

You would think Radio 4 would have been a little more choosy over the phrase.

 

[Surrey_Albion]

I did think it a little strange for radio 4 to keep stating this morning that he had complained to the IPC but his calls kept falling on "deaf ears"

You would think Radio 4 would have been a little more choosy over the phrase.

Some people are just blind to these things

 

[Mr Blobby]

I was there and it was weird as Pistorius seamed to be coasting and the Brazilian just swept past him.

As other said if he had run the same time as his heat (21.30) he would have won as the winning time in the final was 21.52.

My sister just read his book and said she changed her opinion of him to being somebody not very nice!!!!

Anyway the David Weir win was one of the most amazing sporting events I have ever witnessed. The noise for the last 400m was amazing, for the final 200m loud and the final 100m defeaning! Brilliant stuff.

Also on the way back from Hull we bumped into Stef Reid and Libby Clegg and I had the pleasure of seeing them both win Silver Medals yesterday (Long jump and 100m). Here is a picture of our media mogul Brett with them at St Pancras station on there way to Gatwick and then Portugal for the pre-training camp!

 

[sydney]

A moaning unpleasant South African. Well there is a suprise.

you bell end...

 

[sydney]

I did think it a little strange for radio 4 to keep stating this morning that he had complained to the IPC but his calls kept falling on "deaf ears"

You would think Radio 4 would have been a little more choosy over the phrase.

almost as bad as the ozzie commentator repeatedly using the term"upper hand"in the amputees 200m medley heats and finals.........where do they find these people...?

 

[wellquickwoody]

After the outburst from Cundy, and more especially his parents 'they have ruined his life' tirade, this group of Paralympians are not coming across at all well at the moment.

 

[culvers]

This debate over length of blades made me think that perhaos the T43 and T44 athletes should not race together. As mentioned earlier the IPC allow blades to be a certain length based on how tall an athlete would be had they not had their legs amputated - but this is a range and an estimate. Are the single amputee athletes therefore at a disadvantage as the length of their blades is limited by the length of their leg?

In the womens 200m last night it was incredibe to see the dutch athlete (a double amputee) come from nowhere to get second and I think all the athletes around her were simple amputees.

Having said that, maybe there is an advantage when athletes are running at full pelt but single amputees may have the advantage at the start of a race as they are able to accelerate quicker., so maybe it evens out.

 

[Storer 68]

not really, he's just undone years of campaigning on the matter of prosthetiscs, voicing exactly what most people think is the main risk of them, that they give an unknown advantage. well done him.

oh, and Usain Bolt's longer stride (2.7 - 3 metres) doesn't give him an advantage He got pipped on the line by a rival going quicker than him.

 

[beorhthelm]

Albeit that he does have a point that the blades of his opponent are 4inches longer than his.

the only point he's made is how there should never be prosthetics in the main olympics for the endless arguments and debates they will cause over advantages given.

oh, and Usain Bolt's longer stride (2.7 - 3 metres) doesn't give him an advantage He got pipped on the line by a rival going quicker than him.

what Bolt got to do with this? whatever advantage Bolt has is a natural advantage, he cant adjust it a bit each year to get faster. besides, i recall everyone thought he was too tall for sprinting, its supposed to be a disadvantage.

 

[Triggaaar]

I think he's right, he's just gone about it all wrong. If longer blades make you run faster, he should wear them and win, and then complain about them. He should have also worn them at the Olympics and got a medal, and gone on camera then to say how ridiculous it is. Then they'd change the rules. As it is, the rules are the rules and he was wrong to bring it up when he did.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Give him a break (possibly not best phrase here but nevermind). He was very stressed and upset at the time.

It was, admittedly a very ill timed rant, but no worse than the continual complaints of any other professional sportspeople complaining about referees, umpires, off-side rules, LBWs etc etc. He might even have a legitmate point for all I know given the complicated technicalities.

 

[ROSM]

the only point he's made is how there should never be prosthetics in the main olympics for the endless arguments and debates they will cause over advantages given.

well done for taking that piece out of context to the rest of my post. You misssed the piece that the rules around prosphetics by the IAAF are far more strict than the IPC - OPs blades are legal in both, Oliveiros's blades are only legal with the IPC. On that basis OP has a point but after raising it and getting knocked back he should have kept his trap shut.

 

[ROSM]

If longer blades make you run faster, he should wear them and win, and then complain about them. He should have also worn them at the Olympics and got a medal, and gone on camera then to say how ridiculous it is. Then they'd change the rules. As it is, the rules are the rules and he was wrong to bring it up when he did.

He cant wear longer ones at the Olympics as the IAAF wouldnt have allowed them. Their rules are stricter.