3 replies to this topic

[KRL224]

Just curious what people thought about Oscar "Blade Runner" Pistorius, and his attempts to qualify for the Olympics as a double amputee.

https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRv1OvsqXYuLAco9j_JM3fnD0JgBSb3G_uwdP2hGlIiBKJqyiow

Like with the NASCAR athletes debate, I don't think there is necessarily a right answer.

http://www.sportssci...roversy-of.html

[VTM213]

And most tellingly, when you compare Pistorius to these other sprinters, then suddenly you get a picture that shows that he is 14% and 2.3 SD more economical.

It seems fairly apparent after skimming through that article that he has a pretty clear advantage over other sprinters. Given that, I'm not sure what the argument for allowing him to compete would be, outside of "he doesn't have legs! it's a great story!"

[SammyBirdland]

That's a tough one. On one hand, you don't want to exclude the guy just because he's an amputee. On the other hand, you want to limit potential advantages by use of technology (that other's can't take advantage of).

Does he see performance gains when he uses different style prosthetics? If so, does that hurt his case?

[KRL224]

That's a tough one. On one hand, you don't want to exclude the guy just because he's an amputee. On the other hand, you want to limit potential advantages by use of technology (that other's can't take advantage of).

Does he see performance gains when he uses different style prosthetics? If so, does that hurt his case?

Agreed, it would be interesting to see how his results vary with different prosthetics. Unfortunately, I don't see any reason he would ever try. Seems like he would only open himself up to even more doubt, while he is already approved with his current blades.

http://www.guardian....n-2012-olympics

"The prosthetic legs I'm using, the cheetah, have been around since 1996 and I've had the exact same model, same shape since 2004 and nothing's changed on it," said Pistorius. "I'm not looking to increase my times or performances from any application or apparatus, it's all in my training and my recovery, my diet and sacrifices I make on and off the track that make my performances better. So the exact same leg I use now is the one I used before and there are very strict rules to implement [any changes] and anyway, I'm not looking to obtain any advantages through it."