Amputee fails to qualify for Olympic 400m

PORTO NOVO, Benin (AFP) –

Double amputee Oscar Pistorius, pictured in 2011, has failed in his bid to qualify for the 400m in next month’s Olympic Games.

Double amputee Oscar Pistorius has failed in his bid to qualify for the 400m in next month’s Olympic Games.

The South African timed 45.52 seconds to win silver in the African Championships here on Friday, outside the qualifying time of 45.30sec.

The 25-year-old “Blade Runner” could, however, still compete in London as part of the South African 4x400m relay team.

“Thank you to everyone for your support! I came 2nd in the Final of the African Championships with a 45.52s. Was a rough week and I’m blessed,” Pistorius tweeted.

“Thanks to God, family, friends, coaching and management staff. 3 days of hard racing in rough conditions. Looking forward to the rest of ’12.”

Pistorius ran a season’s best of 45.20sec in Pretoria in March, but South African athletics officials demanded that athletes go under the ‘A’ qualifying mark again before Saturday’s deadline.

“My race today felt good and I’m pleased to have won the silver medal at the African Championships,” he said.

“I am obviously disappointed that my time was just outside of the Olympic qualification time by two tenths of a second, I had felt very strong coming into this competition as my fitness and speed has been continually improving.

“I was in good shape to set the time and believe my speed will only increase over the next few weeks.”

South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius, pictured in 2011, has failed in his bid to qualify for the 400m in next month’s Olympic Games.

Pistorius added that he hoped to feature in the relay team.

“I had a great early start to the season, setting the Olympic qualification time and I am hoping that there is still the opportunity for me to be selected to run for South Africa in the 4x400m relay,” he said.

It was a disappointing result for the South African, who runs with carbon-fibre artificial ‘blades’ and was cleared to compete at top level in 2008 when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) overturned a ruling by the IAAF that his blades gave him an unfair advantage.

Pistorius, who had both legs amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old because of a congenital condition that meant he was born without fibulae — lower leg bones — also failed to qualify for the 400m at the 2008 Beijing Olympics after being cleared by CAS to compete.

But he went on to compete at the 2011 world championships in Daegu, South Korea, where he made the 400m semi-final and won a silver in the 4x400m relay, although he did not race the final which left him venting his anger at South African officials.

Pistorius, a three-event defending champion, will also compete in the Paralympic Games, racing the 100, 200, 400 and 4x100m relay.

“I am also extremely excited about the Paralympic Games in London and a big focus for me will be defending my three titles as well as being part of the South African team competing for a world record in the 4x100m relay at the Paralympics.”