Pistorius ready to change perceptions
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Oscar Pistorius has admitted he is fed up with critics questioning his right to compete in the Olympics.
Pistorius
will become the first amputee sprinter to compete in a Games after
being selected for South Africa's individual and relay 400 metres at
London 2012.Double amputee Pistorius, known as the 'Blade Runner' due to the prosthetic carbon fibre limbs he uses, already made history when competing at the 2011 World Athletics Championships in Daegu.
The 25-year-old has had to field numerous questions over the years about whether his artificial legs giving him an unfair advantage.
Indeed, he was banned from from competing alongside able-bodied athletes just before the 2008 Olympics - a ruling he later had overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
And although that has not stopped the sniping, Pistorius is desperate to put the issue to one side.
"You'll find a journalist who has not approached the story properly, or somebody with the title of professor or doctor who wants to make a name for himself," he told the Daily Telegraph. "He will argue that water is dry, or that orange used to be green. They will try to be controversial for the sake of it.
"Honestly, this is not something I can give much more energy to. I would be answering these questions for days."
Pistorius, who will also defend his T44 titles in the 100m, 200m and 400m at the Paralympics, has a personal best time of 45.07 seconds in the latter event and has a modest target in London.
"A decent position in the semi-final," he added. "I wasn't happy with my performance at the World Championships in Daegu.
"I had an unbelievable race in the heats, but misjudged the semi and finished last. This time I'll have to go flat-out from the start.
"I'd like to show people that if you put the hard work in and you believe in yourself, then you can do whatever you want to. I still find it strange, I suppose, when I say to someone, 'Can you just pass me my leg?' But I don't ever think about my disability.
"Putting on my legs is like putting on my shoes. I understand that's how some people might think differently, but I hope that in London, their perceptions open up.
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