Pistorius's coach hopes he gets bail

2013-02-22 10:08

Pretoria - Oscar Pistorius's coach is hoping the Olympic athlete will be granted bail on Friday.

"We feel the truth must come out and we feel very positive and we just want him at home," said Ampie Louw, ahead of Pistorius's bail application at the Pretoria Magistrate's Court.

"At this stage it is a priority," he said.

He was not able to comment on how Pistorius was managing as he had not been able to visit him and had only seen him at court.

Pistorius is charged with the murder of his girlfriend, model and law graduate Reeva Steenkamp, on 14 February in a shooting at his home.

Pistorius has denied deliberately shooting her and said in an affidavit that he thought there was a burglar when he fired shots at the bathroom door, killing her.

Asked how Pistorius seemed to him, Louw said: "He is sad. He is very sad."

Pistorius is a double amputee and competed in the Olympic Games in London last year, running on carbon fibre blades with the nickname "Blade Runner".

He has won several gold medals at Paralymic Games in Athens, Beijing and London.

Louw has been training Pistorius since he began training at the Sports Science Institute at the University of Pretoria while in his teens.

- See News24's Pistorius Special Report.

- SAPA