'Blade Runner' Pistorius realises a dream
A dream came true for double-amputee Oscar Pistorius Monday when he was named in the South African team for the world championships this month. The 'Blade Runner' was selected for the 400 metres and is part of the 4x400 metres relay squad for the biennial competition to be staged between August 27 and September 4 in South Korean city Daegu. Controversial women's world 800 metres champion Caster Semenya was another inclusion in a squad of 21 men and five women with national athletics boss James Evans saying all those who met the qualification times were selected. "I have dreamt for such a long time of competing in a major championship and this is a very proud moment in my life. It is an honour to be representing my country at such a prestigious event," Pistorius said in a statement sent to AFP. "I hope to do my best at the competition for South Africa. I am training hard in preparation for the event and I am looking foward to the championships immensely. "The IAAF is a world-class governing body for our sport and I am grateful to have the chance to run in their events. It will be a great day for me when I set out on the track in Daegu and hope to do my country proud." Cleared three years ago to run against able-bodied athletes, 24-year-old Pistorius acknowledged that he faced an immense challenge at the world championships. "This will be the highest profile and most prestigious able-bodied event which I have competed in and I will face the highest calibre of athletes from across the planet. "If I manage to make it through the heats, I would be thrilled. A good performance for me would be to be consistent through the heats. If I ran anywhere close to my personal best, I would be delighted." Pistorius, a four-time Paralympic gold medalist, clocked a personal best 45.07 seconds in Italian town Lignano last month to secure his place at the global athletics showpiece. Called the 'Blade Runner' and the 'Fastest man with no legs', Johannesburg-born Pistorius had both legs amputated below the knee for medical reasons when he was 11 months old. It did not stop him competing in rugby union, tennis, water polo and wrestling at school and the 1.86-metre athlete was eligible for the 2008 Beijing Olympics but failed to qualify. Semenya, whose recent form has been unimpressive, was last year cleared to run against women after stirring a gender storm when she finished first in the 800 metres final at the 2009 world championships in Berlin. Team Men - 100m: Simon Magakwe, Thuso Mpuang, 200m: Mpuang, Lebogang Moeng, 400m: Oscar Pistorius, 800m: Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, 5000m: Elroy Gelant, 10000m: Stephen Mokoka, 110m hurdles: Lehann Fourie, 400m hurdles: LJ van Zyl, Cornel Fredericks, 3000m steeplechase: Ruben Ramolefi, long jump: Luvo Manyonga, Khotso Mokoena, triple jump: Thumelo Thagane, javelin: Robert Oosthuizen, decathlon: Willem Coertzen, 4x100m relay: Magakwe, Mpuang, Roscoe Engel, Hannes Dreyer, Moeng, Gideon Trotter (reserve), 4x400m: Pistorius, Ofentse Mogowane, Wille de Beer, Shane Victor, Van Zyl, Fredericks Women - 800m: Caster Semenya, 400m hurdles: Wenda Theron, javelin: Sunette Viljoen, Justine Robbeson, shot put: Simone du Toit
