Athletics
Bladerunner preparing for IPC
2010-12-09 18:19
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Johannesburg - Amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius will run two races at the inaugural Yellow Pages Summer Series athletics meeting in Stellenbosch on Friday.
"We're not worried about what times he'll run in Stellenbosch," his manager Peet Van Zyl said on Thursday.
"We're going to use this as a practice session because he's preparing for the IPC [International Paralympic Committee] World Championships," he said.
The four-time Paralympic champion will race over 150m and 300m in Stellenbosch in the build-up to the IPC championships in New Zealand in January.
Pistorius hopes to win four gold medals in Christchurch, where he will race over 100m, 200m and 400m -- events in which he holds the T44 world records -- and the 4x100m relay.
"We're pretty confident of winning the 200m and 400m, but I think the 100m is going to be his toughest event," Van Zyl said.
"He's also running the 4x100m relay, but because it's a relay, anything can happen."
Van Zyl said the new domestic summer series, which offers non-standard events, provided the perfect opportunity for Pistorius to test his fitness before the global disability championships.
"It's really good for him and it takes the pressure off because he sees these races as time trials," Van Zyl said.
"Oscar has prepared differently because these races are not standard distances and he is really keen to see what he can do over 150m and 300m."
While Pistorius has his immediate sights set on the disability championships, Van Zyl said his main goal in 2011 would be to reach the qualifying standard for the able-bodied World Athletics Championships in Daegu.
"Oscar's focus is on the London Olympics in 2012, and next year's World Championships provides a big stepping stone to that goal," he said.
"If he qualifies for Daegu, it will make life a lot easier when he has to do it again for London."
Pistorius will face double world student 200m champion Leigh Julius, over 150m, and African Championships 400m finalist Ofentse Mogawana, over 300m, at the season opener in Stellenbosch.
Another disabled star, triple Paralympic champion Hilton Langenhoven, will also compete against able-bodied athletes in the men's long jump.
The men's mile promises to produce one of the highlights of the meeting.
South Africa's best middle distance runners, including Samson Ngoepe and Tshamano Setone, will be gunning for the R5 000 prize on offer to the first athlete under four minutes.
If the barrier is not broken in Stellenbosch, the cash prize will carry over to the next meeting in Oudtshoorn on Monday.
The last two meetings will be held in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday and Parow next Saturday.
Van Zyl said Pistorius would consider racing again in Parow, but had not yet confirmed his participation.