Blade Runner Barred From Beijing Olympics
Written by OddCulture on January 14th, 2008 in China, science, sports, surgeries, technology, travel.
Insert your Forrest Gump joke here.
Story from CBS News:
The International Association of Athletics Federations ruled Monday that double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius is ineligible to compete in the Beijing Olympics because his prosthetic racing blades give him a clear competitive advantage. The executive Council said the South African runner’s curved, prosthetic “Cheetah” blades were considered a technical aid in violation of the rules.
The IAAF endorsed studies by German professor Gert-Peter Brueggemann, who conducted tests on the prosthetic limbs and said they give Pistorius a clear competitive advantage over able-bodied runners.
Pistorius worked with Brueggemann in Cologne for two days of testing in November to learn to what extent the j-shaped carbon-fiber extensions to his amputated legs differed from the legs of fully abled runners. Brueggemann found that Pistorius was able to run at the same speed as able bodied runners on about a quarter less energy. The professor found that the returned energy “from the prosthetic blade is close to three times higher than with the human ankle joint in maximum sprinting.”
If only you could run what I’ve ran with your blades!
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 competitively four years ago to treat a rugby injury, and nine months later won the 200 meters at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens.
Ossur manufactures the blades.
