Amputee Sprinter

An Amputee Sprinter: Is he Disabled or Too-Abled
Manchester, England

from the New York Times

Oscar Pistorius was born without the fibula in his lower legs and with other defects in his feet. He had both legs amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old.

Sprinting on a pair of j-shaped blades made of carbon fiber and known as Cheetahs, Pistorius has run the 100 meters in 10.91 seconds, the 200 meters in 21.58 seconds, and the 400 meters in 46.34 seconds.

As a result, Pistorius is a searing talent who has begun erasing the lines between abled and disabled, raising philosophical questions: What should an athlete look like? Where should limits be placed on technology to balance fair play with the right to compete? Would the nature of sport be altered if athletes using artificial limbs could run faster or jump higher than the best athletes using their natural limbs?