London – Oscar Pistorius, a double amputee who races on carbon fiber blades attached below his knees, will get a chance to prove himself against the best runners in the world.
The 20-year-old South African will run the 400 meters Sunday at the Norwich Union Grand Prix in Sheffield in a field that includes Olympic champion Jeremy Wariner.
Also entered are former Olympic relay gold medalist Darold Williamson of the United States, Commonwealth Games 400- meter champion John Steffensen of Australia and former 400- meter Olympic hurdles champion Angelo Taylor.
“I’ve been chucked in the deep end with the best guys in the world,” Pistorius said Tuesday. “There’s a lot to learn.
“There never has been a Paralympic sprinter to fuse the gap between able-bodied and disabled sport. The next single amputee runs about 48 meters behind me on the 400 and the next double amputee runs about 110 meters behind. So for me to break into this field is unique.”
Pistorius will get a first taste Friday, when he runs in the second-tier “B” 400-meter race at the Golden League meet in Rome.
Pistorius was born without fibulas – the long, thin outer bone between the knee and ankle – and was 11 months old when his legs were amputated below the knee. He began running four years ago to treat a rugby injury, and nine months later won the 200 meters at the Athens Paralympics. He has gone on to set world records in the Paralympic 100, 200 and 400, but now wants a new challenge.
Pistorius was given permission to race in able-bodied races by the International Association of Athletics Federations last month, but faces a struggle to take the step up to Olympic level amid claims the curved blades he runs on create an unfair advantage.
“We just want to work with the IAAF and get this thing behind us,” Pistorius said. “It has created a lot of negativity that we obviously get frustrated about. I’d like to see what tests they’d like to do and I’d comply with those tests.
“There’s absolutely no reason why they should keep me from running. These prosthetics have been around for 14 years, the exact same design. There’s never been an amputee to run close to my time.”
Pistorius has been running in meets with able-bodied athletes in his native South Africa for the past three years. In March, he finished second in the 400 meters at the South African Championships. His personal best in the 400 is 46.56 seconds, and he hopes to race under 46 on Sunday. Wariner has the fastest 400 time this year of 44.02 seconds.
