<h4>World Champ Does It Again</h4> <b>Only Jump Breaks Back, Wins Event</b> <table class="clsTableCaption" style="float: right;"> <tbody> <tr> <td><img src="https://opedge.com/Content/OldArticles/images/2007-12_06/6-1.jpg" alt="Kevin Green needed just one attempt to win his second consecutive jet-ski ramp jump title at the IJSBA World Finals." /></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Kevin Green needed just one attempt to win his second consecutive jet-ski ramp jump title at the IJSBA World Finals.</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <b>Kevin Green,</b> a bilateral amputee from Lebanon, Tennessee, claimed his second consecutive world title in the Wamilton's/Alphatrade Ramp Jump at the 26th Annual International Jet Sports Boating Association (IJSBA) World Finals October 22 at Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Green, 36, paid a major price for his victory, exploding the L-2 vertebrae on his first and only jump of the day. "It was well worth it to me," said Green, who soared 92 feet, 6 inches on his jet ski. "I'm a two-time world champion. They can't take that away from me." Green, who spent eight hours on an operating table in Las Vegas, Nevada, after the painful jump, already has his sights set on a third title. "I'm planning on next year," he said. "The world record is 96 feet, but I'm shooting for 100." It took Green a number of years to get moving again after losing his legs in an accident in 1984, but he hasn't slowed since. "Jet skiing gave me a chance to do something again. When I got on one for the first time, I just took off," Green said. <h4>Bilateral Amputee Becomes First to Conquer Ironman</h4> <b>Scott Rigsby of Atlanta, Georgia,</b> became the first bilateral amputee to finish an Ironman Triathlon with prostheses at the 140.6-mile World Championships October 14 in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Rigsby, 39, finished with a time of 16 hours, 42 minutes, 46 seconds. The feat is another athletic first for Rigsby, who also became the first double amputee to complete an Olympic distance triathlon and a half-Ironman triathlon. Rigsby lost his right leg and had his left leg badly damaged in a high school auto accident. For more information, visit <a href="https://opedge.com/3081">www.scottrigsby.com</a> <h4>Pistorius' Olympic Hopes at Stake</h4> <img style="float: right;" src="https://opedge.com/Content/OldArticles/images/2007-12_06/6-2.jpg" hspace="4" vspace="4" /> <b>Oscar Pistorius, the South African bilateral amputee sprinter</b> whose dream of competing against able-bodied runners at the Olympic Games has divided opinion within the sport, faced the most important challenge of his career on Sunday, November 11. That's when Pistorius began two days of scientific testing to discover whether his distinctive artificial legs offer him an unfair advantage, according to an article by Simon Hart in the <i>Telegraph</i>. If scientists give him the all-clear, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) will have no choice but to allow him to compete in mainstream races, including a possible appearance in Beijing, China, next year if he achieves the 400 meters qualifying time or is selected for the relay. Pistorius has agreed to take part in a series of experiments at the German Sport University in Cologne under the supervision of Peter Bruggemann, PhD, one of the world's leading experts in biomechanics. The central issue is whether Pistorius's artificial legs are effectively technical aids that make him run faster than he would if he were an able-bodied athlete. Questions have been raised about his stride length, the amount of bounce he receives from the blades, and the way he appears to quicken in the final stages of a race when able-bodied athletes would normally be tiring. "The idea is to test the prosthetics in terms of how they react," IAAF spokesman Nick Davies said. <h4>Marathon Runner Wins 'Peoples Choice Heroes' Award</h4> <img style="float: right;" src="https://opedge.com/Content/OldArticles/images/2007-12_06/6-3.jpg" hspace="4" vspace="4" /> <b>Amy Palmiero-Winters</b>, a single mother of two, world-class marathon runner, and triathlete from Hicksville, New York, has won the <i>Runners World</i> "2007 Peoples Choice Heroes of Running" award. Since 2004, <i>Runners World</i> has presented annual awards to inspirational runners of all levels. Palmiero-Winters was also nominated for the 2006 ESPY (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly) award for best female athlete with a disability. "There are so many heroes in the sports world. To be included with all of these great athletes is quite an honor," Palmiero-Winters said. Palmiero-Winters is the current world record holder in the Olympic distance triathlon (2:25) and marathon (Chicago, Illinois, 2006; 3:04.16) for female transtibial amputees.
