Daegu Test For Blade Runner

14 AUG2011

Oscar Pistorius is set to become the first amputee athlete to compete at the able-bodied world championships after being chosen to represent South Africa in Daegu, South Korea, as its only runner in the 400m. He has also been chosen for the 4x400 relay.

The 24-year-old Pistorius has been named in a group of 26 athletes by Athletics South Africa after he smashed his personal best last month at a meet in northern Italy to make the qualifying time for the world championships and next year's London Olympics.

Pistorius had to take his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to be allowed to compete in able-bodied events on his carbon-fibre blades. The International Association of Athletics Federations had banned the multiple Paralympic gold medal winner from able-bodied competition, saying the blades gave him an unfair advantage.

The man known as Blade Runner was cleared to compete in 2008, but failed to qualify for that year's Beijing Olympics and the 2009 world championships in Berlin. But, needing to run 45.25sec to make this year's event, Pistorius clocked 45.07 last month in Lignano, Italy, his final race before the qualifying cut-off.

The Johannesburg-born sprinter has revealed his longer term goal saying: "If I remain injury-free I plan to compete in Rio in 2016 when I should be at my peak."