Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Run and Not be Weary


But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength;
 they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
they shall run, and not be weary;
and they shall walk,
and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31

You have probably heard that the South African athlete Oscar Pistorius made the Olympic relay team and since then was named to run in the 400. This would be impressive under any circumstances but even more so given that he is missing his legs, or at least part of them. Pisptorius is nicknamed the Blade Runner, or "the fastest man on no legs." He has overcome the obvious impediment to become a world class athlete, running on carbon fibre blades. Strangely, some wanted to ban him from the "abled" Olympics because the blades would give him an unfair advantage.

I listened to a Canadian paralympic athlete who is happy for Pistorius because he has broken through stereotypes about what physically challenged individuals can accomplish. I am very impressed  by what he has achieved, even before he gets to London.

What are your thoughts about Pistorius and others like him?

3 comments:

IanD said...

Goes without saying that he's one of the more impressive individuals from any country heading into the games. Good on him for not letting anything stand in his ways, and I am thankful for the inspiration he'll give to young people in similar positions.

Nancy said...

An amazing story! I have heard Amy Mullins speak she has lost both of her legs. Although she was in the Paraolympics in 1996, I bet today she would be one to make it to the Olympics. Taken from her bio:

"A record-breaker at the Paralympic Games in 1996, Aimee Mullins has built a career as a model, actor and advocate for women, sports and the next generation of prosthetics."

I love her quote, "From an identity standpoint, what does it mean to have a disability? Pamela Anderson has more prosthetic in her body than I do. Nobody calls her disabled.” (Aimee Mullins)

A listen to her Ted Talk is worth the 10 minutes if you have it. When I heard her live 2 years ago, I found her to be very inspirational to all.

http://www.ted.com/talks/aimee_mullins_prosthetic_aesthetics.html

sjd said...

It could open a can of worms if he wins.
I mean I certainly enjoy having my own legs, and I plan on keeping them for awhile, but history shows us that high level athletes will do crazy things to gain an advantage in their sport.
As a kid I watched the "Six Million Dollar Man".
Where will they draw the line? Springy carbonfibre prostetics are OK, but Bionics are not. The rest of you have to use your own legs.