this is cool...

[bouncybouncy]

I don't know about you but I think this is awesome!!!

http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/story/8142170?MSNHPHCP&GT1=39002

[alpinerabbit]

me 3.

[Tweet]

I love stories like this. They are so inspiring.

[Duck on Wheels]

Me 4. I could never wrap my mind around the claim that he had an advantage from the blades or from being a double amputee. I mean, if that gave him an advantage, all the other runners would be amputating their legs too.

[LoriO]

I don't know, maybe I am in the minority but I do feel that the prosthetics give him an artificial advantage.

[alpinerabbit]

The international sports court was convinced by lab tests that were done that he doesn't, that's why he gets to race.

[sundial]

He holds the 400-meter Paralympic world record of 46.56, but must reach the qualifying time of 45.55 to compete in the individual event in Beijing.

I hope he qualifies. I wasn't going to watch the Olympics out of protest but I may have to if he makes the team.

[cyclinnewbie]

I'll watch (I usually watch the track events anyway....I love the relays and the sprints). That man is amazing. Did you all see that video someone sent the link to in another thread about the biker with one leg? That was inspiring also. I think of those kinds of people when I'm whining about how I just don't want to ride/run/go to the gym today because I'm tired/sore/too busy/just don't feel like it. If they can get up and do it, there is absolutely no reason why I can't do it!

[OakLeaf]

More about the technical information here. (http://www.technologyreview.com/printer_friendly_article.aspx?id=20806&channel=biotech&section=)


ETA: I don't know a single thing about sprints. But if Olympic qualifying times in sprints are anything like they were in TTs back when I was racing, they're nowhere near what an athlete would actually have to do to qualify. They're just an outside limit to weed out people who place in regional pre-qualifying rounds against extremely weak competition. Regardless, props to Pistorius.

[jesvetmed]

Oakleaf... tell us more about your racing?! What were you involved with? Sorry to pry!:o
Jes

[OakLeaf]

Oakleaf... tell us more about your racing?! What were you involved with? Sorry to pry!:o
Jes

::total thread hijack::

:o I just messed around a little really, in the late '80s and early '90s. I got to experience the USCF rule that says you're never 30 years old :cool: I was moderately competitive on a local/regional level, but definitely no better than that, and not much hope of ever getting any better than that (which is how I burned out for so long), and that's kind of my point.

I messed around with different forms of racing, but my best event was the individual TT. (Brute force, not too much strategy, hardly any cornering ;)) The one year I went to the district TT, I finished solidly in the middle. (I actually placed third in Masters Women just because there were only five of us. :rolleyes:) Back in those days Olympic qualifying time for the women's 40K ITT was 1:06:00. I beat that time, just barely, so technically I would've been able to go to Nationals and compete in Masters - and if there had been fewer women overall at Districts, I might've qualified as non-age-graded.

Meantime, I don't think national-caliber women had quite broken the 1 hour mark by then, but they were darn close. IOW, in those days, Olympic qualifying time was almost 10% slower than what someone would actually have to do to make the national team.

::Back to your regularly scheduled thread::

Now, (1) as I said, I have not the slightest idea about anything concerning sprint running, and (2) I don't even know if USCF qualifying rounds work the same way now as they did then. And even if that is the case for the 400 meters, Pistorius is still an amazing athlete and an inspiring human being.

[jesvetmed]

I just messed around a little really, in the late '80s and early '90s. I got to experience the USCF rule that says you're never 30 years old I was moderately competitive on a local/regional level, but definitely no better than that, and not much hope of ever getting any better than that (which is how I burned out for so long), and that's kind of my point.

I messed around with different forms of racing, but my best event was the individual TT. (Brute force, not too much strategy, hardly any cornering ) The one year I went to the district TT, I finished solidly in the middle. (I actually placed third in Masters Women just because there were only five of us. ) Back in those days Olympic qualifying time for the women's 40K ITT was 1:06:00. I beat that time, just barely, so technically I would've been able to go to Nationals and compete in Masters - and if there had been fewer women overall at Districts, I might've qualified as non-age-graded.

Cool history. What a great experience.. you must have been VERY motivated and disciplined!

Back to the thread... Speaking of MotIVATED! What an amazing guy.
Sorry all!

[Andrea]

I don't know, maybe I am in the minority but I do feel that the prosthetics give him an artificial advantage.

It would be plausible to make a device that could act more efficiently than the human leg, but apparently, according to their testing, his doesn't do that. I thought the same thing before I read it!