DOUBLE-AMPUTEE RUNNER Oscar Pistorius was left off South Africa’s team for the 4x400m relay final Friday, a day after helping the squad qualify at the World Championships.
“Haven’t Been included in the Final for the SA Mens 4x400m. Pretty Guttered,” Pistorius wrote in a Twitter message.
Instead of Pistorius, the South African team decided to go with L.J. van Zyl, who won the bronze medal in the 400 hurdles.
After making a historic breakthrough for Paralympic athletes by reaching the semifinals of the 400 early this week, the “Blade Runner” ran a strong opening leg on the tough inside lane Thursday to help South Africa to a third-place finish in its heat and a South African record.
Team manager Magda Botha said in a statement the decision was based on “factual information and knowledge” after a meeting with the athletes early Friday.
The 24-year-old Pistorius, who had his legs amputated when he was a baby, can still get a medal if South Africa finishes in the top three because he ran in the heats.
The IAAF had said that Pistorius could only run the lead-off leg of the relay because it is completed with teams still running in lanes. There were fears that the his blades could be a danger if he had to run in a bunch.
Pistorius traditionally has a slow start over the first 100 meters before picking up more speed and it might have been a reason to leave him off the team. It still was an unexpected decision since he trails only Van Zyl in the South African season’s standings, a fact the sprinter himself was keen to emphasise on Twitter.
The United States and Jamaica led qualifying, just ahead of South Africa, highlighting that Pistorius still had a chance to collect a medal.
After failing to reach the final in the individual 400m, he had good hopes to run the relay final Friday.
– Additional reporting from the Associated Press
