Revenge of the Blade Runner

South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius, aka: The Fastest Man on No Legs, vowed today to challenge any ruling by the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) to bar him from competing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Pistorius plans to be the first disabled athlete to compete in the Olympic Games. The IAAF's ruling, scheduled to be delivered next week, will determine whether or not Pistorius acheives an unfair advantage from his carbon fiber "cheetah feet" prosthetic legs. In other words, is Oscar more human than human.

Pistorius was born without fibulas and had his legs amputated at 11 years of age. He only began running competitively four years ago to treat a rugby injury, and currently holds world records for the 100, 200, and 400 meters races at the Paralympic Games.

The NY Times created an amazing graphic last year showing exactly how Oscar's prosthetics work, and how his running differs from a non-disabled athlete.

And what does he look like in action? Check it out:

You know how you play that game as a kid, the "What would you rather lose: your eyesight, hearing, an arm, or a leg" game? My first thought about losing my legs is, "Man, it would be a real bummer not to be able to run anymore."

Seeing how Oscar motors, at least I know I've got alternatives.

Update: The IAAF has ruled that Pistorious is ineligible to compete in Olympic qualifying events. In an article in today's NY Times, the body ruled that Oscar's "Cheetah" blade prosthetics do provide a biomechanical advantage over typical human physiology. Peter Brueggemann, a professor at the German Sport University, tested Oscar for two days last year for the IAAF, and has determined that "the mechanical advantage of the blade in relation to the healthy ankle joint of an able-bodied athlete is higher than 30 percent.”

The ruling is a disappointment, but not much of a surprise to Oscar or his agent Peet Van Zyl. Van Zyl says they will appeal, but has admitted that "(Oscar) still wants to be an Olympian, but it’s not looking like it’ll be Beijing...We’ll see if we can’t get him in London in 2012."