Longer blades are unfair, says Oscar

REUTERS

Brazils Alan Oliveira, left, celebrates after coming from behind with a blistering turn of speed over the last 100m to pip SAs Oscar Pistorius in the final of the mens 200m T44 event at the Paralympic Games last night. Pistorius is not happy about it.

Kevin McCallum

LONDON: After he had been beaten for the first time in the 200m, a clearly upset Oscar Pistorius called for the rules governing prosthetic legs to be more strictly governed by the International Paralympic Committee.

Pistorius suggested that Brazil’s Alan Oliviera, who had won Paralympic gold in 21.45 seconds, beating the SA superstar into second, had used a loophole in the rules to gain an unfair advantage.

Oliviera came from behind to win a dramatic race. Some of the double-leg amputees lengthened their carbon fibre prosthetics to give themselves an extra kick towards the end of the race.

“He’s got the same tech, it’s all the same,” said Pistorius, “but there are restrictions on the height and the guys have made their heights a lot taller in the last few months.

“Alan is a terrific guy, he’s a great athlete, but he’s never run a 21-second race and I don’t think he’s a 21-second athlete, never mind a 21.4secs athlete.”

Pistorius and several of the single-leg amputee athletes have been asking the committee to tighten up the rules after Oliviera and Blake Leeper, the American double-leg amputee, had added about 10cm to their blades.

Leeper finished third, just beating Arnu Fourie, the single-leg SA amputee. Fourie was fourth, setting a new world record for the T43 class for single-leg amputees. He crashed into Leeper as they crossed the line.

“I’ve never lost a 200m race in my career. I’ve never seen a guy come from 8m back on the 100m mark to beat me on the finish line,” said Pistorius.

“I ran a great race… There’s never been another Paralympic athlete to run a 21-second 200m.”

Pistorius is not allowed to lengthen his blades to run against able-bodied athletes. If he does, he will be banned from the Olympics.

Paralympic rules, however, are a lot more lax in that regard.

Charl Bouwer, 22, who won his second medal of the 2012 Paralympics last night, has a simple motivation for making sure that he makes every final at these Games that he can.

“My mother and my father are here to support me,” said the tall, skinny boy. “It’s quite expensive so they are only watching the finals.”

He is now R175 000 to the good thanks to Sascoc’s incentive programme after he took silver in the 100m freestyle for the visually impaired last night. That will go nicely with his gold for the 50m freestyle, which he won on Saturday.

Achmat Hassiem could not stop looking at the Paralympic bronze medal he won on Saturday in the 100m butterfly – one of six won by Team South Africa that day. He had lost his leg in a great white shark attack in 2006, saving his brother.

He says he will spend his R40 000 on buying a new prosthetic leg for himself.

Perhaps there might be someone out there who would sponsor him one? Make it a normal size. 8P24