It just HAD to happen- Olympics thread

[Napoléon]

I just watched double-amputee Oscar Pistorius compete in his first heat race in the 400 meter sprint. He finished second so he will move on to the semifinal. I’m not sure how I feel about that. While they say his carbon fiber prosthetics don’t offer a competitive advantage as they can’t release any more energy than he puts into them I can’t help but wonder if they don’t store and release more energy than natural legs. Kind of like a kangaroo. In any case it is an amazing personal accomplishment for Oscar to have made it to this level of competition given his disability.

I personally don't think he should be allowed to compete to be honest.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to take anything away from his achievement, but to say it gives him no advantage is plain ridiculous. How about the fact he can't get injured any lower than his knees. For instance, he won't suddenly pull a calf, like every other athlete can. He doesn't have to build any muscle in those areas. That's more time training on other muscles. Okay he might not have a specific 'advantage' in the sense of him actually racing, but surely there is an advantage in his physical attributes by having prosthetic legs.

I mean, I thought the whole point of the paralympics was so people like him could compete. Having him compete with non-amputees doesn't seem like a level playing field.