Oscar the “Blade Runner” Pistorius ran inside the 400-meter qualifying mark for the 2012 London Olympics for a second time on March 17, 2012, leaving him one race away from making history at this year’s games. Pistorius was timed at 45.20 seconds at the Gauteng North Provincial Championships, Pretoria, South Africa, to win his first 400-meter race of the season.
“I am absolutely thrilled to have run the Olympic qualification time…,” Pistorius said.
Pistorius has twice gone inside the able-bodied qualifying standard. He ran 45.07 in a race in Italy last year, faster than the then-qualifying time of 45.25. The world track organization has since adjusted the time for the 400 to 45.30. He was also the first amputee athlete to run at the world championships in Daegu, South Korea, last year.
The 25-year-old, four-time Paralympic champion now must top the time once more in an international race to qualify for the Olympics, according to criteria now agreed on by Athletics South Africa and South Africa’s Olympic Committee (Sascoc). He needs to make that time before the qualifying cutoff of June 30.
