The next time I hear myself whining about how hard my life is or how insurmountable my obstacles are, I’m going to think about South African runner Oscar Pistorius and tell myself to shut up!  Known as the “fastest thing on no legs” Mr. Pistorius is a double amputee whose strength, determination and sheer athleticism on the track field have shattered notions about the limitations placed on disabled athletes.  The Paralympic world record holder for the 100, 200 and 400 meters sprints, he competed against able-bodies runners at the 2007 South African National Championships and took the silver medal in the 400 meters.  Mr. Pistorius has now made legal history by suing for, and winning, the right to compete to represent South Africa at the Beijing Olympics.

It seems inaccurate to refer to Mr. Pistorius as “disabled” since he can run much faster than most able-bodied couch potatoes, myself included.  He was born without the fibula in his lower legs and with defects in his feet, which resulted in his legs being amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old.  Mr. Pistorius runs with J-shaped Cheetah Flex-Foot prosthetics.  The International Association of Athletics Federations ruled that the Cheetah prosthetics gave him an unfair advantage over other runners because their tests showed that the prosthetics were more efficient than a human ankle and allowed Mr. Pistorius to keep up with a few able-bodied sprinters while expending about 25 percent less energy.  Sounds fishy to me.  I mean the legs are prosthetics, not bionics!  Mr. Pistorius refused to give up on his Olympic dream and appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland, which found that the initial tests were unfair because they studied Mr. Pistorius’ performance while he was running on a straightaway, where he can run fastest.   A second round of more realistic tests found that the Cheetah prosthetics do not give Mr. Pistorius an unfair advantage. 

I think it’s really meaningful that this landmark legal decision for disability rights was made possible because of an African athlete.  Throughout the continent, negative attitudes about people with disabilities prevent many of them from fully participating in society.  Seeing Mr. Pistorius whizzing around the track on his Cheetah blades sends a message to them that they too can accomplish their dreams if given the opportunity.  And hopefully, it will send a message to African nations to make it a priority to provide increased opportunities for people with disabilities.  South Africa is fully behind Mr. Pistorius, and has agreed to waive the requirement that Olympics-bound athletes compete in the national championships in March. They plan to accept any qualifying time from a sanctioned event, anywhere in the world.  Leonard Chuene, president the South African Olympics affiliate, said of Mr. Pistorius, “The young man is a fighter. Let’s give him opportunity and support, and I believe very strongly he will make it.”

Mr. Pistorius still needs to shave a half-second off his best 400 meter time to qualify for the Olympics.  As somone who attributes his success to plain old hard work, Mr. Pistorius will no doubt give his Olympic dream his best shot.  He says, “I train harder than any of the other guys do.  I put in more hours.  I eat better. I sleep better.  I rest better and, overall, I am more diligent.”  Even though I will never be an Olympic athlete unless speed-reading becomes an event, Mr. Pistorius’ story inspires me to remember that I can reach my own goals if I put in the work, even when it’s not easy.