Oscar agrees to IAAF testing
2007-07-26 14:18
Monte Carlo - Double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius - who wants to race in the 400m at the Olympics - will work with the IAAF to ensure that his curved, carbon-fibre prosthetic racing legs do not give him an unfair advantage.
The International Association of Athletics Federations said on Thursday that Pistorius would undergo a full biometrical analysis with independent experts at the German Sport University in Cologne.
Pistorius has set world records in the 100m, 200m and 400m in Paralympic events. To make next year's Olympics in Beijing, Pistorius would have to run a 46.3 before the July 2008 qualifying deadline. His personal best in the 400m is 46.56 seconds.
Pistorius, along with his scientific advisers, will work with specialist Professor Peter Bruggemann in Cologne over several days of testing, with the data analysis to take around three weeks. The testing won't begin until October, at a date yet to be fixed.
Pistorius, who had complained earlier this month that he was not getting support from the IAAF, said he was pleased to help conduct research "so that we can jointly come to a fair and educated conclusion."
"There is much at stake personally and for the future of all amputee athletes and I applaud the IAAF for recognizing that," Pistorius said. "By aligning experts from prosthetics and biomechanics I believe we will be able to put this issue to rest one way or the other."
The 20-year-old Pistorius recently competed at two international-level able-bodied meets in the 400m. He finished second in a 'B' race in Rome on July 13 and, two days later, was the last racer across the finish line in Sheffield, England, and was then disqualified for running outside his lane.
The IAAF filmed the Rome race and video analysis of that prompted the IAAF to fund further laboratory research to "investigate and define the properties of Oscar's prosthetic blades."
Early analysis showed Pistorius' racing legs provided less air resistance than able-bodied runners, and the way he distributed energy was virtually the opposite. And unlike able-bodied runners, Pistorius was faster at the end of the race instead of the beginning.
IAAF president Lamine Diack said he admired Pistorius, but wanted to make sure his prosthetics were "analysed carefully."
"We cannot permit technical aids that give one athlete an unfair advantage over another," Diack said. "I am very pleased that Oscar has agreed to do this research with Professor Bruggemann, as the results will have very important implications for sports science."
Scientists will test Pistorius' energy consumption and compare it with data of able-bodied athletes of the same speed.
Pistorius, a South African, was born without fibulas - the long, thin outer bone between the knee and ankle - and was 11 months old when his legs were amputated below the knee.
He began running four years ago to treat a rugby injury, and nine months later won the 200m at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens.
- AP