Oscar Pistorius

Not to be confused with Oscar Piastri.

Oscar Pistorius
Pistorius in 2011
Personal information
Full nameOscar Leonard Carl Pistorius
Nickname(s)Blade Runner; the fastest man on no legs; Tink Tink; "Oz" Pistorius[1]
NationalitySouth African
Born (1986-11-22) 22 November 1986 (age 38)
Johannesburg, South Africa
Alma materUniversity of Pretoria
Years active2004–2013
Height1.60 m (5.2 ft) (without prosthesis)
Weight80.6 kg (178 lb) (without prosthesis) (2007)[2]
Sport
CountrySouth Africa
SportRunning
DisabilityDouble below-knee amputee
Disability classT43 (competed in T44)
EventSprint (100, 200, 400 m)
Retired2018
Achievements and titles
Paralympic finals2004 Summer Paralympics: 100 m (T44) – Bronze; 200 m (T44) – Gold

2008 Summer Paralympics: 100 m (T44) – Gold, 200 m (T44) – Gold; 400 m (T44) – Gold

2012 Summer Paralympics: 200 m (T44) – Silver; 4 × 100 m relay – Gold; Men's 400 m (T44) – Gold
World finals2005 Paralympic World Cup: 100 m (T44) – Gold; 200 m (T44) – Gold
National finals2007 South African Senior Athletics Championships: 400 m (T44) – Gold
Highest world ranking100 m: 1st (2008)[3]

200 m: 1st (2008)[4]

400 m: 1st (2008)[5]
Personal best(s)100 m (T44): 10.91 s (2007, WR)[6]

200 m (T44): 21.30 s (2012, WR)[7]

400 m: 45.07 s[8]
Medal record
Men's Paralympic athletics
Representing  South Africa
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens 200 m (T44)
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing 100 m (T44)
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing 200 m (T44)
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing 400 m (T44)
Gold medal – first place 2012 London 400 m (T44)
Gold medal – first place 2012 London 4 × 100 m relay (T42–T46)
Silver medal – second place 2012 London 200 m (T44)
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Athens 100 m (T44)
IPC World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2011 Christchurch 4 × 100 m relay (T42–T46)
Men's athletics
IAAF World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2011 Daegu 4 × 400 m relay
African Championships
Silver medal – second place 2012 Porto-Novo 400 m
Silver medal – second place 2012 Porto-Novo 4 × 400 m relay
Updated on 29 August 2018

Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius (/pɪˈstɔːriəs/ pist-OR-ee-əs, Afrikaans: [pəˈstuəriœs]; born 22 November 1986) is a South African former professional sprinter and convicted murderer.[9] He was first convicted of culpable homicide of his then-girlfriend, which was subsequently upgraded to murder upon appeal. Both of his feet were amputated when he was 11 months old as a result of a congenital defect; he was born missing the outside of both feet and both fibulas. Pistorius ran in both nondisabled sprint events and in sprint events for below-knee amputees. He was the 10th athlete to compete at both the Paralympic Games and Olympic Games.

After becoming a Paralympic champion, Pistorius attempted to enter nondisabled international competitions, over persistent objections by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and arguments that his artificial limbs gave an unfair advantage. Pistorius prevailed in this legal dispute. At the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, Pistorius was the first amputee to win a nondisabled world track medal. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Pistorius was the first double-leg amputee participant.

On 14 February 2013, Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend, paralegal and model Reeva Steenkamp, in his Pretoria home. He claimed he had mistaken Steenkamp for an intruder hiding in the bathroom. He was arrested and charged with murder. At his trial the following year, Pistorius was found not guilty of murder, but guilty of culpable homicide.[10][11][12] He received a five-year prison sentence for culpable homicide and a concurrent three-year suspended sentence for a separate reckless endangerment conviction both in October 2014.[13][14]

Pistorius was temporarily released on house arrest in October 2015 while the case was presented on appeal to a panel at the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa, which overturned the culpable homicide verdict and convicted him of murder.[15][16] In July 2016, Judge Thokozile Masipa extended Pistorius's sentence to six years.[17] On appeal by the state for a longer prison sentence, the Supreme Court of Appeal increased the prison term to a total of 15 years less time served.[18] Pistorius was released on parole on 5 January 2024 after serving a total of 8.5 years in prison, in addition to seven months of house arrest.[19]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference ww was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Wired was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference IWASF 100m 2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference IWASF 200m 2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ World wide ranking: T44 male 400 2008, International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation, archived from the original on 15 July 2008, retrieved 19 July 2008
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference News24: 100m World Record was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Telegraph20120901 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference PB4507 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Onishi, Norimitsu (3 December 2015). "Oscar Pistorius Guilty in Murder of Reeva Steenkamp, Appeals Court Rules". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 4 December 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  10. ^ Germaner, Shain (12 September 2014). "Oscar: the verdict is in". The Star. Archived from the original on 12 September 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
  11. ^ Phipps, Claire (12 September 2014). "Oscar Pistorius verdict: judge to rule on culpable homicide". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 September 2014.
  12. ^ Davies, Lisa (12 September 2014). "Oscar Pistorius is a convicted killer, but not a murderer". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
  13. ^ Germaner, Shain (21 October 2014). "Oscar gets 5 years for Reeva's death". The Star. Archived from the original on 26 October 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  14. ^ "Oscar Pistorius sentenced to 5 years in jail". News24. 21 October 2014. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference bbc34993002 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Onishi, Norimitsu (3 December 2015). "Oscar Pistorius Guilty in Murder of Reeva Steenkamp, Appeals Court Rules". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 4 December 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  17. ^ "Oscar Pistorius given six years for Reeva Steenkamp murder". BBC News. 6 July 2016. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  18. ^ "SCA increases Oscar Pistorius's murder sentence to 13 years". News 24. Archived from the original on 15 November 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  19. ^ Chutel, Lynsey (5 January 2024). "Oscar Pistorius, Olympic Athlete Convicted of Murder, Is Released". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 5 January 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2024.