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Tal Cohen / EPA
Oscar Pistorius of South Africa, left, and Alan Fonteles Cardoso Oliveira of Brazil shake hands on the podium after the Men's 200-meter final during the London 2012 Paralympic Games on Sunday. Pistorius apologized Monday for the timing of his complaints about a rival's blades following his defeat in the final, but insisted that officials need to change the rules to prevent some runners from getting an unfair advantage.
Updated at 6:15 a.m. ET Tuesday: LONDON - “Blade Runner” Oscar Pistorius -- the unofficial face of the Paralympic Games -- was clearly still reeling Monday after losing a key race over the weekend.
Pistorius issued an apology for “the timing” of his remarks, which in essence accused race winner Alan Fonteles Oliveira from Brazil of not playing fair. But the usually mild-mannered South African did not step back from his statement alleging that Sunday’s race was not run on an even playing field.
On Tuesday, some in the British media speculated whether he had already tarnishing his image. "If Oscar had run the time he can run I don't think we'd be having the debate about the length of the blades or how tall an athlete should be on blades," Gareth A Davies of the Daily Telegraph said on the U.K.'s Channel 4 News.
"I think his outburst kind of ruined in a sense, or destroyed the Pistorius brand," Davies said.
"He's running faster backwards now than he runs forward, (isn't he) with his retractions," anchor Jonathan Edwards joked.
The 200-meter final was the Paralympic race Pistorius had said he was looking forward to the most, and his shock at losing was palpable. Simply put, he was the one to beat. In Saturday’s qualifying heat, Pistorius had set a new world record. He’d won the gold in the 200 meter in Beijing.
Doctor Gerry Versfeld, Oscar Pistorius' doctor, describes the decision to amputate the sprinter's legs when he was a boy. NBC Sports' Mary Carillo reports for Rock Center.
But then came Sunday night’s race, and his stunning loss.
'Meet the Superhumans': Paralympians burst onto world stage
“We are not running a fair race here. I can’t compete with Alan’s stride length,” said Pistorius, who made Olympic history this year as the first disabled athlete to run in the able-bodied games. Pistorius himself fought claims that carbon-fiber prosthetics are advantageous when compared to human legs.
‘Absolutely ridiculous’
In front of a sold-out stadium Sunday night, the 24-year-old South African had a clear lead coming around the final bend. Then Brazil’s Oliveira surged in the final stretch, passed Pistorius, and won the race by .07 seconds.
"I don't know how you can come back, watching the replay, from eight meters behind on the 100 to win. It's absolutely ridiculous," Pistorius told British broadcaster Channel 4 in a trackside interview.
South African runner Oscar Pistorius, who lost both his legs as a child, talks with TODAY's Savannah Guthrie about becoming the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics, and says it was "difficult" to hear people say his prosthetics give him an unfair advantage.
His comments jarred with the fact that he has said that this year’s Paralympic Games have led spectators to “focus really on the ability” of the athletes, rather than “focusing on the disability.”
Usually known for his modesty and good sportsmanship, Pistorius accused Oliveira of having an advantage by adjusting the length of his blades, thus giving the Brazilian a longer stride.
"The [International Paralympic Committee] have their regulations. The regulations allow that athletes can make themselves unbelievably high. We've tried to address the issue with them in the weeks up to this and it's just been falling on deaf ears,” he said on Channel 4.
Uncharacteristic outburst
Pistorius’ remarks reverberated through the sporting world.
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“I’m quite shocked the way Oscar had a bit of an outburst because it’s not in his character, so obviously he feels very strongly that the rules need to be addressed,” Olympic silver medalist sprinter Iwan Thomas said on Channel 4. “But as we sit here tonight the rules are as they are and [Oliveira’s] done nothing wrong.”
Eddie Keogh / Reuters
The blades of Brazil's Alan Oliveira (R) and South Africa's Oscar Pistorius are seen after the Men's 200m T44 classification at the Olympic Stadium during the London 2012 Paralympic Games on Sunday.
Thomas did not hold out much hope that Olympic authorities would change their decision.
“I don’t think they’re just going to suddenly tear up the rule book just because Oscar said something. Although he’s the king of the sport, rules are there and it probably takes a long process to get things looked at,” he said.
Measured response
Indeed, the International Paralympic Committee defended its rules by tweeting a photo showing the maximum heights allowed for individual athletes, and showing Pistorius at a height of 193.5cm and Oliveira at 185.4cm.
“There are rules in place with IPC Athletics whereby we measure the length of the blade prior to competition, check they're in proportion with the body and all of the athletes last night passed the test, so yes, he (Oliveira) was a legitimate winner,” IPC representative Craig Spence said.
Click here of The Science of Sport's findings on the race.
Sorry for ‘timing’
On Monday, Pistorius stuck by the essence of his post-race comments and did not step back from his complaint.
He said in a statement:
“I would never want to detract from another athlete's moment of triumph and I want to apologize for the timing of my comments after yesterday's race. I do believe that there is an issue here and I welcome the opportunity to discuss with the IPC [International Paralympic Committee] but I accept that raising these concerns immediately as I stepped off the track was wrong. That was Alan's moment and I would like to put on record the respect I have for him. I am a proud Paralympian and believe in the fairness of sport. I am happy to work with the IPC who obviously share these aims.”
Meanwhile, Team South Africa and SASCOC (South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee) issued a statement welcoming Pistorius' apology.
Oscar Pistorius from South Africa became the first double amputee to compete in the games by running  the men's 400-meter race. He says that having the opportunity to represent his country in the Olympics "far surpassed" his expectations.
"We note and welcome Oscar's apology for anything said in haste, and we obviously fully understand that he was emotionally upset immediately after such an important event here in London. We again congratulate Oscar on winning his silver medal on Sunday. As always we are fully supportive of all our athletes and will engage through the official channels from the National Paralympic Committee in South Africa to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) on any concerns that Oscar may have."
They’ll meet again
Oliveira, who called Pistorius a “great athlete,” said he was saddened by the South African’s reactions.
“I am just sad with the interview where he said my blades were too big” Oliveria said. “He was bothered by my time in the semi-finals and he wanted to get to me with his polemic but it did not work. For me he is a really great idol and to hear that from a great idol is difficult.”
Pistorius and Oliveira are on course to meet again in round one of the 100 meters on Wednesday and round one of the 400 meters on Friday. Assuming they both make those finals, they will race again at the 100 meter final on Thursday and the 400 meter final on Saturday.
More coverage of the London Paralympics from Britain's ITV News
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Leave a Comment:
Wow...what a lack of sportsmanship. On the other hand, perhaps neither should be competing with their "blades" at all. I mean what is next, motorized wheel chairs?
I agree..what the hell is wrong these people ..they know they can't do normal things..but want to do best as abnormal..that peeps in body alone is the mind game... shouldn't change with a sport!
The best runner won..techo or not..face it pal!
that means bolt is cheating cause he's much and his legs are longer ha ha!!!
This dude needs to face reality. He's not as great as he or his supporters think he is. Ironically, he's now making the same complaint some Olympians made about his perceived "advantage" prior to the London Olympic games. He's just afraid that another athlete with blades will be the first to beat athletes who don't need blades and the world will forget about him.
If blades don't add to the human capability I don't see the problem. Motors on the other had add to the human power.
The mechanics of the prosthesis are real. Once it was decided that mechanic devices would be allowed in competitions this stage was set. It is very possible that athletes who experience pain as part of their disability may petition to be allowed to use anti-pain medications. What's the differnece between that and allowing blade runners. Both are merely addressing their disabilities aren't they? Trying to retore normalcy. Once pain meds are permitted (they may already be - I just haven't seen them highlighted in the news) standby for athltete v athlete charges of overdoing it. For Now, Pistoris should get 6 inch longer blades and try again. And his competitor should get longer...... and over and over.
Folks this is the paralmpics it is intended for those who have 'handicaps' it is not the regular olympics. And Mike what exactly makes you say they cant do normal things - I suspect all these athlets in the parlympics can out run you. Please define Normal.
Holly: Remember now, it is a bona-fide para-olympic athlete complaining of the mechanical advantage of another athlete. IT's not us commenting on it that brought the subject up. Respecting the mechanics of devices, I am reminded that NASCAR went to extreme lengths to write rules, hire and train battalions of judges and inspect, inspect and inspect again to make sure the mechanical advantages don't become the leading feature of the business of competing.
He just screwed up. He knows he shouldn't have said it. We all say something we wish we could take back.
Hey, wasn't he the guy that said the blade size and type didn't matter when he wanted to run the regular Olympics? This is just poor sportsmanship.
duplicate comment removed.
Lost his cool, apologized, apology accepted. Not much to quibble about.
No..he's pissed off he lost after all that training..I would be too ( face the FACTS)..but I wouldn't be a sore loser like him...the other was as equal as him who he had to beat!
He reminds me of that little girl whogot a silver instead of a gold medal..that she indeed was expecting!..Sorry have to win it first..without the smirks of a face!
This is not the same situation, Mike. McKayla maroney, the "little girl" you speak of, fell during her performance at the Olymics and it cost her some points. She was disappointed that the fall may have cost her the gold, but she was not disappointed that she "only got silver".
Pistorius did not have any apparent faults during his competition, he was bested by the competition. Bringing up the issue of how much these prosthetic legs should differ is important, but at the moment he was just being a sore loser.
It's interesting that the TV commentators at the Olympics were saying the same thing about Usain Bolt. He takes something like 4-6 fewer strides over 100 meters and noted that the length of his stride does provide an advanatage. Unlike Bolt's competitors Pistorius could get longer blades if he chose to.
So, now all runners will run according to their leg or inseam length!
"I don't know how you can come back, watching the replay, from eight meters behind on the 100 to win. It's absolutely ridiculous"
Well Oscar, perhaps Alan's turbo boost kicked in, or he's just faster than you. Happens all the time.
Pistorius is a jerk. He only got into the Olympics on the sympathy card. Extra light legs and far less oxygen using tissue - give me a break. Now this whiner complains about another guy over a couple of inches.
"Boing, boing, boing!" That's all folks.
Does this mean he now understands why some able-bodied runners do not feel capable of competing with this technology?
Isn't this the same guy who has spent a long time telling everyone that these blades offered no competitive advantage?
Kind of ironic that as soon as he loses in a paraolympic event he starts whining about blades providing some type of unfair advantage...
"Waah I lost to a Brazillian!!! Whatever, he lost and there's nothing he can do about it! He should shut his trap and be happy that there's such a world competition!!
If Pistorius was healthy enough to compete in the Olympics, why is he allowed to compete in the Paralympics?
Go ahead and hate, it's a very valid question.
Wow, defensive much?
As far as I know, nothing is stopping disabled athletes from competing in the Olympics as well as the Paralympics. It's just that most disabled athletes are rarely able to defeat non-disabled athletes in order to competitively qualify for the limited number of spots on their respective national teams.
Now that, Mr. Flagg, is a good point.
MockingbirdGirl,
If he believes that one set of blades could give a runner an advantage over another set of blades, why can't he see how this technology could be used to gain an advantage over an able bodied runner. At what point does it stop being the physical prowess of the runner that won the race and not the technology of the blade?
But, I thought there was no advantage to having these blades over legs. He claimed he had not advantage over able bodied runners and ran in the regular olympics but, a longer blade gives someone an advantage in the paralympics?
you lost fair and square so shut up
isn't this the guy who's team made it into the 4 x 400 relay finals just to boost TV ratings?
i was sick of this prima donna during the olympics, and he's just a b1tch now
And this is exactly why a lot of us didn't think it would be a good idea for Pistorius to compete with able bodied athletes. The drama of which technology is just a replacement, and what gives an advantage, will be never ending. How about an athlete who had longer than average legs before having them amputated? Should he be allowed proportionately longer blades?
Definitely brings up the issue of whether or not someone should be allowed to use them in non-para-olympic events. Technology on these things will be ever changing, and already you can see the possible performance difference between these two sets. In a race where everyone uses them, they should all be using the same exact model. Whether they should allow slightly longer ones depending upon the length of the missing limb is another issue.
FYI: it looks like the story misquotes the lengths of the devices, per the user, as the race winner clearly has longer blades, which also appear to be designed for more flex, which should help significantly.
"Usually known for his modesty and good sportsmanship, Pistorius accused Oliveira of having an advantage by adjusting the length of his blades, thus giving the Brazilian a longer stride."
Wow, what irony. He had no problem claiming he didn't have any advantage when there were concerns that his blades gave him an advantage during the olympics. now the shoe is on the other blade, i suppose. he lost, stop being a sore loser. does nothing for your sport.
It's nice to seem someone admit to and apologize for bad behavior for once. Still, he's standing by accusations that don't appear to measure up so still not cool.
Judging from the picture the blades of the Brazilian are far longer than those of Pistorius. Even a blind person can see that. They are 6 inches or more longer. Definitely an issue.
He lost all respect from me. To have the arrogance to use the same attack against someone who defeated him as that used to attempt to deny him entrance into the competition of the Olympics is childish at best and totally lacking in sportsmanship and humility at worst.
What I find odd is that NBCNEWS have not mentioned any of the other events at the Paralympics but as soon as a story with negative connotations emerges they cover it at length. I have been at several events in the Olympic park over the last week and it has been fantastic and inspiring. Why no coverage of the positive aspects of the games? Being a Brit I am particularly proud of TeamGB who are performing brilliantly and are second in the medal table after China. I don't really expect NBC to mention this but it is outrageous that they are not supporting Team USA more enthusiastically!
Pistorius is pist (sp) off. But now he knows how his competitors felt when he was allowed to race in the Olympics in spite of his blades. He should handle the situation with the same tact and grace he exhibited when accepted by the IOC to run in London against world class athletes.
The claim that it "destroyed" his brand is over-blown for media purposes. His argument is the same others have been saying about allowing blades in the Olympics. Wonder if Pistorius understands this?