Pistorius - “a considerable advantage”?

[Guest guest]

December 20, 2007

The below may be of interest:

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Blow to 's Olympics dream

19/12/2007 15:42 - (SA)

's future uncertain

Berlin - Pistorius, the self-described " fastest thing on no legs, " has a

considerable advantage over his sprinting rivals, a German university professor

told Die Welt newspaper on Wednesday.

Gert- Bruggemann, of the Institute of Biomechanics at Cologne University,

has been tasked by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)

with examining any advantage the South African Olympic hopeful has on his rivals

using prosthetic limbs.

Pistorius has carbon fibre blades attached to both his legs below the knee and

both Pistorius and the IAAF agreed he would undergo a series of tests and

analyses.

He had hoped to compete in next year's Beijing Olympics against able-bodied

athletes but after Friday's IAAF report and Bruggeman's findings, his chances

look remote.

Bruggeman, who put Pistorius through a series of tests in November at the IAAF's

request, told Die Welt: " He has a considerable advantage compared with athletes

without prosthetic limbs who have undergone the same tests.

" The difference is several percentage points and I did not think the findings

would be so conclusive. "

The 21-year-old Pistorius, dubbed by the press as the " Blade Runner " , was fitted

with his prosthetics when he was only 11 months old after a congenital disorder

forced him to undergo the amputations.

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http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/athletics/article307

5840.ece

Report delivers premature blow to Olympic hopes of Pistorius

Pistorius, the double amputee sprinter who wants to be allowed

to run in the Olympic Games, is given " a considerable advantage " over

his able-bodied competitors by his prosthetic blades, the man charged

with testing him said yesterday.

" He [Pistorius] has a considerable advantage compared with athletes

without prosthetic limbs who have undergone the same tests, "

Professor Bruggemann told Die Welt, the German newspaper,

yesterday before Pistorius had seen his report of the tests. " The

difference is several percentage points and I did not think the

findings would be so clear.

" His aerobic performance was worse, his anaerobic performance was the

same. He could be in better shape. The fact that he still runs the

same times as the other runners is due to his prosthetics. The

prosthetics return 90 per cent of the impact energy, compared to the

60 per cent of the human foot. "

Bruggemann, the director of the Institute of Biomechanics at the

German Sports University in Cologne, last month conducted private

tests on Pistorius and six able-bodied athletes who had similar 400-

metre times. The IAAF, which commissioned and paid for the tests,

received Bruggemann's report on Tuesday and Pistorius became aware of

receiving an e-mail with them attached only last night after being

contacted by The Times.

Bruggemann suggested that the way Pistorius runs is different from

able-bodied athletes. " It looks good, smooth, somehow elegant [when

Pistorius runs], " Bruggemann said. " It's a totally different kind of

movement. He was incredibly co-operative and open. I think most of

all he wants to be better and faster. If he continues to improve his

stamina, I could imagine him breaking the non-disabled world record

over 800 metres. "

Pistorius will have been shocked by the disclosure of the results

because he was not expecting any public announcements until the new

year at the earliest. " The IAAF does not plan to discuss the contents

of the report, or make any public announcement about any decision

related to the report, until January 10, 2008, " it said in a

statement yesterday. The IAAF has not come to an official verdict,

but the decision of the council will be based on Bruggemann's report,

so that seems academic.

Pistorius, 21, was born without fibula muscles and his legs were

amputated below the knee at 11 months old. He has said that he would

stop running in able-bodied competition if the tests proved that his

carbon-fibre blades — called " Cheetahs " by Ossur, the manufacturer —

gave him an edge. But he did not expect the tests to go against him,

saying that if they did, he would seek a second opinion from another

set of independent tests.

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Carruthers

Wakefield, UK