The level of interest surrounding the arrest of Oscar Pistorius is a reflection on the South African?s huge profile, unprecedented for any previous Paralympic athlete. But the 26-year-old?s life has been full of challenges.
Pistorius, who has been charged with the murder of his girlfriend?Reeva Steenkamp after she was found shot dead at his home in Pretoria, rose to global prominence last summer when he became the first Paralympic athlete to also appear on the track at an Olympic Games.
Pistorius was born with no fibulas ? the bones in the lower leg ? and had both legs amputated below the knee before his second birthday. Yet in London, running on the carbon-fibre blades which earned him the nickname ?Blade Runner, he?reached the semi-finals of the 400metres.
A month later, back in London?s Olympic Stadium, Pistorius ?broke the world record in the heats of the ?T44 200m, but was?surprisingly beaten in the final by?Brazil?s Alan Oliveira. The normally gracious South African took the defeat badly, claiming in a post-race television interview that the length of his rival?s running blades was ?ridiculous?.
He later played down the controversy and went on to?win gold in the 4x100m relay and the individual 400m ? his signature event ? on the final day of competition.
Despite his disability, Pistorius?embraced all forms of sport as a schoolboy, particularly athletics and rugby.??In my mind there have never been any barriers for me in sport, he said. ?I don?t perceive myself as having a disability. I see only my ability.?
But his?life was touched by tragedy at the age of 15 when his mother died from an allergic reaction to treatment for suspected malaria.?The following year, his hopes of reaching the Athens Paralympics were hit when he shattered his knee playing rugby.
Then, in 2009, after he had risen to prominence at the Beijing Paralympics, Pistorius himself suffered significant injuries in a boating accident. Then 22, he fractured his?eye socket, jaw, nose and two ribs but was back in training just two months later.
Pistorius has always bounced back from adversity, breaking new ground in 2005 when he raced in?the able-bodied South African Championships, claiming sixth in the 400m.
The South African has fought a long battle to be able to compete in able-bodied events, with the IAAF initially refusing to sanction his blades ? claiming they gave him an unfair advantage.
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