Athletics
Oscar on TIME's 100 list
2012-04-18 21:03
Oscar Pistorius (Gallo Images)
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Cape Town - South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius, the athlete known as the ‘Blade Runner’ because he runs on carbon fibre blades, has been named as one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2012.
According to
The South African.com website, Pistorius made the list on Wednesday.
He is the only South African on the list.
The magazine wrote: “Even when the running establishment - convinced his blades provided an advantage - tried to confine Pistorius to the Paralympics, he kept pushing his limits and the limits of the human body. Now he’s won the right to compete against the world’s best. He is the definition of global inspiration.”
Pistorius has won four gold medals at the Paralympic games and holds a number of world record times for sprinting. He is also the first amputee to win an able-bodied world track medal, after the South African 4x400m relay team won silver in last year’s World Championships.
In February this year Pistorius also
won the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award.
TIME publishes the list annually. It ranges from politicians and businessmen to sport and music stars.
Pistorius also announced the news on his Twitter page on Wednesday and thanked fans for their support.
"Made the @TIME's Top 100 Most Influential People in the World List.
"Thank you to everyone for the support and kind words today. I'm blessed for the support you all give," he tweeted.