Share

Blister halts Oscar's charge

Johannesburg - Oscar Pistorius withdrew from the 400m race at the South African disabled championships in Durban on Wednesday, ending a tough meet for the double-amputee Olympic hopeful.

Agent Peet van Zyl said Pistorius was struggling with a blister on his leg which made it "very uncomfortable" to run, although the withdrawal was "more precaution than anything else."

Pistorius experienced a rare defeat in disabled competition in the 100m on Monday when he finished second to fellow South African Arnu Fourie. Pistorius hadn't run the 100m in nearly a year and Fourie is a single-amputee runner.

Pistorius then made a mistake during the final changeover in Tuesday's 4x100m that led to his team being disqualified.

Pistorius is expected to compete at South Africa's able-bodied nationals next month before travelling overseas. He needs one more Olympic-qualifying time in the 400m at an international event to be eligible for the London Games, according to criteria agreed on by national federations of Athletics South Africa and the South African Olympic committee.

He ran 45.20 this month to go inside the able-bodied qualifying time of 45.30 for the second time.

He needs to make that time once more overseas before the qualifying cut-off of June 30. Should he go to London, he'd make history as the first amputee track athlete to run at the Olympics.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
33% - 1816 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1774 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1082 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 459 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 186 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 252 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE