Double amputee races in the Olympics

[PLAYER57832]

I started to bring up the whole question of technology and the Olympics. But, you know what? Sometimes, we just need to sit back and marvel.

This, I think is one of those times.
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7416890n

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=dou ... &FORM=VDRE

[GBU56]

This double amputee has an advantage of being lighter [minus the lower legs]. This is just a distraction from the sport for able-bodied runners. This can complicate our sports by introducing other mechanical wonders that will eventually prove superior to normal limbs.

[Symmetry]

Pistorius is pretty awesome. Heard a great story about him the other day about how he goes and talks to kids in schools.

One of the main questions he gets asked is, understandably, why he doesn't have his legs.

"They fell off because I didn't eat my vegetables" is one of his standard replies.

Top bloke.

[annevee]

He is very controversial, even in his own country, but he has fought a very long, hard battle to be able to compete against able-bodied athletes.
He is simply too good for the Paralympics and just proof of the indomitable human spirit.
He really is the nicest guy.
And I'm not just saying that because he's one of ours:)

[Haggis_McMutton]

Pistorius is pretty awesome. Heard a great story about him the other day about how he goes and talks to kids in schools.

One of the main questions he gets asked is, understandably, why he doesn't have his legs.

"They fell off because I didn't eat my vegetables" is one of his standard replies.

Top bloke.

So not only is he cheating his way into the olympics, but also lying to impressionable youth ?

What a cad !

[annevee]

He qualified for the Olympics by the skin of his teeth and children should eat their vegetables, doesn't matter how you get them to do it:)

[BigBallinStalin]

This isn't legit.

[Lootifer]

His appeal to the olympic committee covered the argument of whether or not his lack of legs and running prosthetics gave him any kind of advantage; he showed they didnt so they allowed him to compete.

Incidently he didnt medal at all, he had a bad race and didnt qualify for the final.

[Army of GOD]

Pistorius is maybe the coolest last name of all time.

[jimboston]

His appeal to the olympic committee covered the argument of whether or not his lack of legs and running prosthetics gave him any kind of advantage; he showed they didnt so they allowed him to compete.

Incidently he didnt medal at all, he had a bad race and didnt qualify for the final.

He won a Silver in Relay In 2011... not in the 2012 Olympics.

At least not yet... perhaps there is another event.(?)

I could find no mention online.

[greenoaks]

why is he allowed to compete at the olympics when those with the use of their legs are not permitted to play wheelchair basketball.

[Army of GOD]

why is he allowed to compete at the olympics when those with the use of their legs are not permitted to play wheelchair basketball.

I DEMAND EQUALITY

[Lootifer]

His appeal to the olympic committee covered the argument of whether or not his lack of legs and running prosthetics gave him any kind of advantage; he showed they didnt so they allowed him to compete.

Incidently he didnt medal at all, he had a bad race and didnt qualify for the final.

In 2011... not in the Olympics... at least not yet.

I could find no mention online.

Yeh I got confused; he basically hasnt really got close to winning any major 400m titles. His silver in the 2011 world champs came from the 4x400m relay - in which he didnt even compete in the final (world champs you can have a reserve who still gets a medal - means you can save your best runner for the final).

[Lootifer]

why is he allowed to compete at the olympics when those with the use of their legs are not permitted to play wheelchair basketball.

Because in one of those situations you have a distinct advantage, and the other you do not.

He has a pretty good argument: "If they provide such an advantage, why arent the olympics over-run with double amputees??"

[jimboston]

Double amputee races and medals

Please clarify the title of this thread to specify that we are not talking about the Olympics.

[BigBallinStalin]

why is he allowed to compete at the olympics when those with the use of their legs are not permitted to play wheelchair basketball.

Because in one of those situations you have a distinct advantage, and the other you do not.

He has a pretty good argument: "If they provide such an advantage, why arent the olympics over-run with double amputees??"

Because...

(1) the effectiveness of those prosthetic limbs are uncertain so far, and

(2) the ruling just recently allowed double amputees (of his kind) to participate, so of course the Olympics are not over-run with double amputees.

[Woodruff]

I started to bring up the whole question of technology and the Olympics. But, you know what? Sometimes, we just need to sit back and marvel.

This, I think is one of those times.
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7416890n

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=dou ... &FORM=VDRE

This is a great story, and I really like the guy. But he should remain in the Paralympics, not competing in the Olympics. It's a "level playing field" issue to me.

[Lootifer]

Because...

(1) the effectiveness of those prosthetic limbs are uncertain so far, and

(2) the ruling just recently allowed double amputees (of his kind) to participate, so of course the Olympics are not over-run with double amputees.

Yeh yeh, logical fallacy n all that (until proven).

But this is as a single data point is pretty compelling (even if its only a single data point): Hes the fastest bladed runner ever seen by a very significant margin - and even though the T44/T43 categories lack depth, they arent exactly non-competitive; the fastest bladed runners PB for the 400m is still a long way away from being a world-class (ie olympic final worthy) time.

[greenoaks]

why is he allowed to compete at the olympics when those with the use of their legs are not permitted to play wheelchair basketball.

Because in one of those situations you have a distinct advantage, and the other you do not.

He has a pretty good argument: "If they provide such an advantage, why arent the olympics over-run with double amputees??"

what advantage?

[heavycola]

Pistorius is maybe the coolest last name of all time.

but dude, the fastest man in history is called Bolt. That wins, surely.

[yang guize]

i saw his race. he starts very slowly, his legs are bad for the first bit of the race. but then all of a sudden he is much faster. like you say, his legs are lighter and able to move faster (the original investigation of him showed that his legs move faster than the legs of the 100m sprinters, but the scientists decided to ignore that for some reason)
just because he doesn't win doesn't make him legitimate. his qualifying prevented someone else without his advantage from attending the olympic games.

[Haggis_McMutton]

i saw his race. he starts very slowly, his legs are bad for the first bit of the race. but then all of a sudden he is much faster. like you say, his legs are lighter and able to move faster (the original investigation of him showed that his legs move faster than the legs of the 100m sprinters, but the scientists decided to ignore that for some reason)
just because he doesn't win doesn't make him legitimate. his qualifying prevented someone else without his advantage from attending the olympic games.

Not at all.
That other person is free to chop of his legs and put on prosthetics too.

[Neoteny]

Ron Paul 2012!

[yang guize]

haggis am i supposed to treat that seriously?

[heavycola]

haggis am i supposed to treat that seriously?

It's the thin end of the wedge. before long, every olympic athlete will have some sort of prosthetic enhancement or replacement. From there it's only a short hop to computer-controlled hydraulic joints- then before you know it then the only competitors will be full-on cyborgs, possessing an IOC-mandated minimum amount of brain matter and central nervous system in order to qualify as 'human'. Of course by then the rest of will be slaves or a food source for the machines, so we probably won't even care.