Oscar Pistorius’s 2012 London Olympics journey ended last night, but his presence was always likely to be more significant than his achievements on the track. The South African was eliminated from the four hundred meters, finishing last in his semi-final. The entire stadium celebrated his achievement, with cheers normally reserved for the home team and medal winners. Pistorius secured his place in sporting history by becoming the first double amputee to compete at the Olympics. He will still run in the four by 400 m relay and will then return to London at the end of the month to add to his haul of Paralympic titles. Pistorius says: “I would have loved to have been a little bit quicker today even if I ran a personal best it would had been tough for me to make the final. The guys in calibre of athletes here were absolutely phenomenal but to be considered in the worlds top and to be able to run in the semi-final with top 24 guys in the world is just a blessing for me.”
I didn’t remember the clock until like 30 m to go because I was worried about wining and nothing else
In the major track event of the Olympic Games, Usain Bolt successfully defended his 2008 Beijing title with a new Olympic record. The lightning fast Bolt underlined his superhuman talent in an event of one hit wonders. Not since Carl Lewis in 1988 has a sprinter ever defended his 100 m title successfully. Bolt says: “I was really not worried about running world records, I didn’t remember the clock until like 30 m to go because I was worried about wining and nothing else.” It was a close finish in the women’s four hundred meters final. Sanya Richard Ross of the United States set a blistering pace as she clocked 49.55 sec to claim victory. Amantle Montsho of Botswana just missed out on a medal finishing fourth.
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