Andy Hooper
Paralympian Oscar Pistorius races Ellie Challis, 5, on her new Cheetah Flex-Foot limbs, made by Ossur, the same company which makes Pistoriuss blades. Picture: Andy Hooper / Daily Mail.
Oscar Pistorius’s picture on his Twitter account is of him with eight-year-old quadruple amputee Ellie May Challis on the day she fitted her new blades. His last tweet before he was accused of the Valentine’s Day murder of his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was: “In a run up to the launch of my foundation in July I will give at least 10kids mobility!”
Now the father of Ellie May says his daughter will continue to be inspired by Pistorius, despite the murder allegations.
Paul Challis from Essex in England, said brave Ellie May was aware of the worldwide coverage of the case but probably too young to comprehend the details and significance of the charges.
He said: “She is aware of what’s happened and a bit upset by it all but she’s not really been affected because she doesn’t really understand. To try and explain to an eight-year-old why this man she sees as a hero is in court isn’t easy. But she knows he’s done something bad.”
Ellie and Pistorius were pictured together four years ago when the Olympian visited her as she tried out her new running blades, becoming the youngest person in the world to do so. The young girl lost her limbs aged just 16 months when she contracted meningitis.
The “Blade Runner” was in the UK in May 2009 to compete at the Paralympic World Cup in Manchester and agreed to meet Ellie at a London sports track. In four races, Ellie “beat” the world-famous athlete over 15m.
Paul said: “A lot of things have happened since we met him but she remembers it clearly. She says, ‘I beat him’ but she also says, ‘he let me win’.
“She was four at the time but she remembers it like it was yesterday. It wasn’t just the photos. He took her away to the side and spoke to her for half an hour away from the cameras. Whatever he had in him, she has it in her.
“She did not stop smiling and talking about him afterwards and you could see it on her face.
“He’s obviously got determination and she’s got that too. She has to travel seven hours sometimes to get her legs fitted properly but she’s never upset. She’s always smiling and nothing gets her down.”
Paul said he and wife Lisa had discussed the murder case. He said: “My wife’s extremely interested and she is totally convinced that he is innocent. It’s one of those things where your heart says he’s innocent but your head says otherwise.
“We’ve been listening to the information and we can only go on what’s been said but it doesn’t look good. Unfortunately it’s a bit like a rape case – there’s only two people that really know what happened, and in this case, she is dead.
“Even if it’s a mistake, he’s going to have half the world saying he’s guilty and the other half saying he’s innocent.
“When Ellie met him, she was totally inspired. He was great with her. We had tickets to see him at the Olympics 4x4 relay but in the heat they dropped the baton. We were waiting to see him on the bend but they didn’t make it. Ellie was upset.”
Paul and Lisa who also have children Connor, 15, Tai’la, 13 and Ellie’s twin sister, Sophie, said their daughter lived life to the full.
“My wife, Lisa, took our children to the zoo on Tuesday and she was already up at 5.30am packing her bag. She isn’t lazy like other children, she’s always ready and wanting to do things.
“She’s always got a sparkle in her eyes and she lives life. She plays badminton, goes dancing, horseriding – she’s always wanting to do sport. I’ve pushed my children quite hard but I don’t have to with Ellie. She does gymnastics with her legs off and she’s tried wheelchair football and normal football.
“The question, ‘I can’t do it’ isn’t in her vocabulary. I’ve stopped saying ‘you can’t do it’ a long time ago. She’s even now dressing herself, even though she’s got no arms, she can do most things. She always walks into school.”
He added: “I’m hoping against hope that it’s 100% an accident but it’s difficult to avoid what’s being said. What we shouldn’t forget is that a family have lost a daughter and they must be grieving. She was a stunning girl and we shouldn’t lose sight of that.” Ian Evans in the UK
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