Share

Oscar finishes 2nd in 400m

Lignano - South African double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius finished second in a 400m race in Italy on Tuesday, his final tuneup for the London Olympics.

Pistorius clocked 46.56 seconds - well off the personal best of 45.07 he ran at the same meet last year - to finish behind Calvin Smith of the United States. Smith won in 45.52.

"My time wasn't among the best. But I'm good physically and mentally," Pistorius said. "I've used a lot of energy in these past few days, both in training and with the media because of my participation in the Olympics. The race went well, I felt fine, I just lost a bit of acceleration halfway through."

Pistorius will become the first amputee track athlete to compete at the Olympics after being selected by South Africa to run in London. He's set to compete in the individual 400 and the 4x400m relay, although the team hasn't decided which leg he will run.

"I'd prefer to run the third leg, that would be the best," Pistorius said. "But the first one could be fine. The relay is really my race. I've always done team sports."

Pistorius won last year's race in Lignano to qualify for the world championships. This time, he finished ahead of four other runners, including Jamaicans Ricardo Cunningham and Javere Bell.

"I could have done the same time as last year, but I didn't want to run the risk of getting injured," Pistorius said. "It wasn't important to test my speed today. It was like training, in the next two weeks I will try to do my best before London. I'm sure I can beat my personal best. The Olympics pushes me so much, that will make me run better."

Meanwhile, American Lolo Jones won the women's 100 hurdles in a time of 12.85. Ireland's Derval O'Rourke was second in 13.05.

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% - 1120 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1289 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 1985 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