Share

Pistorius chases dream in NY

New York - South Africa's Oscar Pistorius, the famed "Blade Runner" who dreams of qualifying for next year's London Olympics, brings his quest to Saturday's Diamond League meet at New York.

The 24-year-old runner who captured four Paralympic gold medals is set to compete in the 400 meters against a field that includes US star Jeremy Wariner, the 2004 Athens Olympic 400m champion.

Pistorius, who had both lower legs amputated when he was 11 months old, ran a personal best of 45.61 seconds last March in the 400 but must run a 45.25 by June 20 to qualify for the World Championships at South Korea in September.

"I've had a time now that I started my season off with, which is quite respectable, but it's not as quick as those run (by top entrants) and I've only done it once, so I still have to prove myself," Pistorius said.

The prosthetics-power Pistorius sees reaching the worlds as crucial to his quest for London, given the likely similar qualifying standards and similar experiences on offer in both meets.

"I think that's pretty important and quite vital," said Pistorius, who was .3 off the 2008 Beijing Olympics qualifying mark.

"I missed the Beijing Olympics by a small margin and I don't want that to happen again."

Tyson Gay, who beat Usain Bolt in their only 100m showdown last year, will be favored in the men's 100, with Prefontaine Classic winner Steve Mullings of Jamaica likely the American's toughest rival.

"My conditioning was just better than him at that time," Gay said of his victory over Bolt, noting that he still faces a challenge of overtaking the Jamaican world-record holder in the hearts of US athletics fans.

"Americans don't always like second best. They like guys like Jesse Owens and Carl Lewis," Gay said. "But if I'm 100 percent and still run second, I accept that."

The New York meet also features three-time 200m world champion Allyson Felix, two-time 400m hurdles world champion Kerron Clement and reigning 800m world champion and 2004 Olympic runner-up Mbulaeni Mulaudzi of South Africa.

Bershawn Jackson, Javier Culson and South African LJ van Zyl will test Clement in the hurdles.

Reigning world triple jump champion Phillips Idowu of Britain will be tested by reigning world indoor champion Teddy Tamgho of France and Sweden's Christian Olsson.

Also entered is french pole vault star Renaud Lavillenie and Croatian high jump star Blanka Vlasic.

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
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1177 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
30% - 1367 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2082 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