olympics

Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 400m Semifinal

No legs? No problem for the man they call “Blade Runner.”

I know, right? Now tell your friends!
Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 400m S...
Jack Moore

1. This Is Oscar Pistorius

He is a sprinter from South Africa, and a double amputee. He is one of six Olympians to ever compete at both the Olympic and Paralympic games in the same year.

2. Today He Made History

He became the first double amputee runner to ever compete in the Olympics. He ran in a qualifying heat for the 400m.

3. And, Oh Yeah, He Was Awesome

His time of 45.44 was enough to come in second in his heat (behind only the “second fastest man in the world” Luguelin Santos of the Dominican) and qualify to move on to the semi-finals.

5. Watch The Whole Race Here:

The semifinals are tomorrow at 3:40pm EDT.

6. Also, check out the Nike swooshes on his racing legs, which are called Flex-Foot Cheetahs.

Check out more articles on BuzzFeed.com!

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    10 Responses So Far

    • michelleb47   Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... and thinks it’s Win  about 9 months ago
    • ak4d7   Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... and thinks it’s Win  about 9 months ago
    • lankarkiv.com readers just made Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... hotter  about 9 months ago
    • orbusmax.com readers just made Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... hotter  about 9 months ago
    • rjt813 9 months ago

      He is a true Olympian and a classy dude. Even though he didn’t qualify for the finals, he was so glad to be in London to compete. A true sportsman!

    • jessicar14   Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4...  about 9 months ago
    • Jessie thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • Bootlegmixtape   Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4...  about 9 months ago
    • Mongognom thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • criso321 thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • brandireneeg   Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... and thinks it’s OMG & Win  about 9 months ago
    • trollprincess 9 months ago

      I shouldn’t be amazed by the number of comments from people who genuinely think that the Olympic committee wouldn’t ensure that Pistorius’s running prosthetics don’t give him a definite advantage over the other runners, but that’s ableism for you. Seriously, you guys do realize his legs were made by people and not by Tony Stark in a cave with a box of scraps, right?

    • Ru n 9 months ago

      So I was totally gonna come in and say someting like he should not here blah blah and then when he took second and 3 tears fell…I realized I had no argument. Tears and oscar wins.

    • scandinavians thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is OMG  about 9 months ago
    • TFadam   Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... and thinks it’s Win  about 9 months ago
    • vicb thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • Chris Darrah thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • kathyc14 thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • ashleyh30 thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • stefanieb2 thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • Brian H. thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • blairu   Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... and thinks it’s Win  about 9 months ago
    • staywo thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is OMG & Win  about 9 months ago
    • gerwynl 9 months ago

      Ugh, those commentators are dreadful.

    • ZekeRodz thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • mumbalee thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • Alibug thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win & OMG  about 9 months ago
    • manic thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • sophiea4 thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • kristyn thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • liam thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • ohyeahbrid thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • Andrea N thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • chrisd31 9 months ago

      It’s amazing what you can do when your legs are 20 lbs lighter than everyone else’s and have springs.

    • danielflamingo thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • danielled8 thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • stefani thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • nbninja   Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... and thinks it’s Win  about 9 months ago
    • Tiago Castro thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is OMG  about 9 months ago
    • sazzola 9 months ago

      THGRene, A healthy human foot has an energy return (springiness if you like) of around 119%. Those there blades have a return of about 90%. He also has 20% less muscle mass in his legs due to not having muscles that most people have in the ankles and feet.
      I can see how you might be confused, he makes it look so easy, but having helped to teach amputees to walk again on a daily basis I can assure you it is not as easy as YOU think it is.
      Oscar Pistorius, you are a true hero.

    • vanedulac thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • iainc2 thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • Noelwatson   Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4...  about 9 months ago
    • Carlos Javier thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • stephanierm thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • joshf16 thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • wearhowse41 thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is starting to get hot on Facebook Share It  about 9 months ago
    • nickym2 thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • tifferzz thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • likewhoaa   Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... and thinks it’s Win  about 9 months ago
    • GMT thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • yukiakitac 9 months ago

      Oh my god!! This guy is marvelous!! He is a True Olympian..

    • yukiakitac   Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... and thinks it’s OMG & Win  about 9 months ago
    • THGRene 9 months ago

      shouldnt be allowed to compete. the blades weight less and give off more power than legs.

    • T0y 9 months ago

      The lower half of his body reminds me of those Prawn Aliens from District 9. He’s even from South Africa! Nevertheless,this dude rocks.

    • Ken L. thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • Eric Harris thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • tinap3 thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • michelek2 thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • hollerific   Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... and thinks it’s Win  about 9 months ago
    • sunnys3 thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • NPJWIL thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • seannyfleming   Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... and thinks it’s Win & OMG  about 9 months ago
    • Shelbie M. thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • addhass   Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4...  about 9 months ago
    • shaunpm   Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4...  about 9 months ago
    • eduardol thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • Christy T.   Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4...  about 9 months ago
    • sarahc49 thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • spinthestars thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • gwaace thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • FlickMontana 9 months ago

      I like, have legs and stuff, but this guy inspired me to get some of those blade-boots to spice up my runs. They’re fun as heck!

    • ImaGoonie thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • marapazriosecol thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • Gitsie Gutwrench thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
    • Laura K.   Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4...  about 9 months ago
    • jessim2   Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... and thinks it’s Win  about 9 months ago
    • alicer13 thinks Double Amputee Sprinter Advances To 4... is Win  about 9 months ago
     
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