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Souhan: Pistorius' blades of contention

  • Article by: JIM SOUHAN , Star Tribune
  • Updated: August 4, 2012 - 11:10 PM

There is no questioning Oscar Pistorius' courage, but it's valid to ask if his prosthetic limbs give him an unfair advantage over other Olympians.

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belascoAug. 4, 12 8:14 PM

Whatever side of the debate you fall on, stop and reflect on this for a moment: we live in an era where someone essentially born with no legs, through remarkable perseverance and amazing technology, is able to compete in a footrace with the best athletes in the world.

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SeaSharkAug. 5, 1211:22 PM

This is easily Jim Souhan's most poorly conceived and unnpersuasive Star Tribune column. The suggestion that Oscar Pistorius may have an advantage over his Olympic 400 meter competitors because he bounced back from having both legs cut off below the knee and adapted to life with artificial limbs is preposterous gold medal whining at its worst. The speculative advantages that Pistorius has over other runners, according to Michael Johnson and Sports Illustrated consulants, are indeed pure speculation and ignore the fact that able bodied runners have their feet firmly on the track and therefore aren't fighting the body balance dynamic that challenges Pistorius. The Pistorius debate harkens back to golfer Casey Martin, who has a genetic blood disorder in his right leg that makes walking painful and difficult, and his request to use a golf cart while competing in the 1998 U.S. Open at San Francisco's Olympic Club. The PGA and several tour pros including Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, looked silly by strongly objecting to Martin's request, insisting that riding in a cart would give Martin an unfair advantage over the other golfers who had to play the entire tournament under the PGA's cruel and unusual punishing requirement to actually walk the entire course--THE HORROR! Oscar Pistorius doesn't need or want anyone's sympathy, and he doesn't deserve all the critical condescending speculation about the science fiction "advantages" of his carbon footprints.

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