Oscar Pistorius of South Africa is a 4-time Paralympic Champion in sprinting events. Oscar is a double leg amputee who has developed into nearly a world class 400 meter runner with a PR of just over 45 seconds. Last year, Oscar made it to the semi-finals at the world track and field championships in Daegu. The debate has risen about whether his prosthetic legs aid him in running faster. I'm no physicist so I'm not going to try and tell you whether his legs do or don't make him faster. (I do think his prosthetics help him, he doesn't look as fast as other 400m runners of his caliber but of course I can't prove it) My stance on this topic is that Oscar needs to chose between the Olympics and the Paralympics. If he is as good as an able bodied human at track then he shouldn't compete in the Paralympics. And if his prosthetics do help him then he shouldn't be able to compete in the Olympics. He is clearly different than his competitors at the Olympics and Paralympics. It is a confusing situation. What do you think?
1 comment:
Great point on that he should pick one of the two. I'm not sure if I approve of him competing in the Olympics. He supposedly has an advantage, but then again, he has a disadvantage - he lost his lower legs.
Ok, after thinking about, he should be able to compete in the Olympics. It would be good for the sport. More people would be drawn to the event knowing that some guy lost his lower legs and has a 'shot at winning gold.'
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