Oscar “the Blade Runner” Pistorius has smashed his own 400m sprint world record in the T44 disability class. On August 14, the 23-year-old South African flew across the tape at the Diamond League meet, London, England, as the clock hit 47.04 seconds, improving the record he set at the Beijing Paralympics by three quarters of a second.
Ironically, the new record isn’t Pistorius’ official personal record. In an able-bodied competition in Celle Ligure, Italy, on July 8, he not only placed first but clocked a 46.02, just 0.07 seconds behind the able-bodied qualifying time for the Commonwealth and Olympic Games.
“A world record is always a good thing to finish the season off on,” Pistorius told the AFP news service. “I learned a lot from Friday’s race, where the rainy conditions were not what I am used to.”
