Week 8 "Artificial leg"

                    Hello, this is my blog’s eighth topic! Last week, I wrote about “Doping problem”. It is very serious problem for not only track and field but all sports. I also write one of the problems today. It is about “an artificial leg”. First of all, I want you see this video.

                    His name is “Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius”. Hi is a runner who has artificial legs. So he is called a “Blade Runner”. I’ll tell you about the problem of artificial legs through telling about him.

His best time

100m...10.91

200m...21.30

400m...45.07

              He is Paralympic and Olympic athlete of Republic of South Africa. As you have seen, he has no legs!! He was only 11 months of age, being cut below the knee because he had no the shin bone since he was born. And his both feet became the artificial legs but his ability of exercise is very high. When he was a high school student, he belonged to rugby club. One day he injured his right knee when he practiced of rugby. And he started track and field as a part of rehabilitation. It is the fateful encounter with track and field. It was in April 2001. Only 8 months after the meeting, he entered Athens Paralympics. In the Paralympics, he was third in the 100m (11.16), he won the gold medal with a new world record in the 200m (21.97)!! I run 200m at 22.66, so he was faster than I even though he had not started track and field less than one year!! After the Paralympics, he aimed at participating the Beijing Olympic. However the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) decided that Pistorius didn’t have a qualification as to participate in the Olympics due to his artificial legs was thought that have some advantages. But he couldn’t consent to the decision so he filed to the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) and he would be able to participate in the Olympics if he can run faster than standard record (400m: 45.30). And in July 2011 he ran 400m at his best time that 45.07, it had been decided to his competition in the London Olympic in 400m and 4*400mR. At the Olympic, he remained the semi-final in 400m and he ran the relay as an anchor. In the same year’s Paralympic he won the gold medal the both events.

              He is a very nice sprinter but there is a big problem that whether the artificial legs have same advantage or not. First, the IAAF decided that he should not participate in the Olympics because IAAF thought it has. This is my opinion, I also think he should not participate in the Olympics because of the unfairness. Whether it has any advantage or not, that can’t measure I think. Because there are many point of views the advantageous or disadvantageous. But the artificial legs are not unfair at least. He is surely a top of athlete so I want him to compete in his field, Paralympics.

              Today I write about artificial legs and Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius. He has no legs but he is a respectable runner!! I’ll tell you his word at last “You're not disabled by the disabilities you have, you are able by the abilities you have”

           My 8^th week’s topic “artificial legs” is over. Next time, I’ll write about “The World Championships” and be happy you read it. See you next time!!

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