Johnson would not have cleared Pistorius to race
Source: Agencies |
December 9, 2011, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
MICHAEL Johnson wouldn't have allowed his friend Oscar Pistorius to run in able-bodied races. But, now the decision has been made, the retired 400-meter great wants to see the double-amputee athlete do the best he possibly can.
For Pistorius, that simply means running at the best event: the Olympics. His possible participation at next year's London Games may not have the world record-holder's full support, but Johnson said he still admired the South African as "the poster boy" for athletes overcoming disability and that he fully supported him.
The two friends shared a stage at a sports conference in South Africa on Wednesday.
The fierce debate over Pistorius' place at able-bodied events is set to run right up until next July's London Games, and probably beyond, with the 25-year-old South African one more 45.30-second lap on his carbon-fiber blades away from qualifying for the biggest athletics meet of them all.
And while Johnson has always been consistent in his position over disabled athletes at regular events, he's also become a Pistorius fan.
"I think, and Oscar and I have discussed this, that I would not have made the decision to allow Paralympic athletes to compete with able-bodied athletes because when you're using prosthetics you just can't know how much, or if, there is any advantage that an athlete may gain," Johnson said.
"Because the decision has been made and I know Oscar - and I consider Oscar a friend - I'm very supportive of him and I want to see him do the best he can possibly do."
Pistorius has already broken new ground. He had to fight before he was cleared to run alongside the world's top runners by world sport's highest court in 2008.
That personal best this July put him inside the Olympic mark and qualified him at the last possible moment for this year's world championships in Daegu, South Korea, making history as the first amputee athlete to compete at the worlds.
"I struggle when people ask, 'What are you trying to prove? What message are you trying to give?' It's not about sending a message, I'm just doing something I enjoy," he said. "My goals are just to be able to look back at my career and know that I didn't let my talent go to waste. I'm not trying to prove a point, I'm just trying to prove to myself that I can be the best that I want to be."
Pistorius hasn't finalized his schedule for 2012 yet, but said he will run three meets early next year in South Africa ahead of his national championships. He's also confirmed at the Paralympic World Cup in Manchester, England, in May and the IAAF event in Ostrava, Czech Republic, later the same month.
For Pistorius, that simply means running at the best event: the Olympics. His possible participation at next year's London Games may not have the world record-holder's full support, but Johnson said he still admired the South African as "the poster boy" for athletes overcoming disability and that he fully supported him.
The two friends shared a stage at a sports conference in South Africa on Wednesday.
The fierce debate over Pistorius' place at able-bodied events is set to run right up until next July's London Games, and probably beyond, with the 25-year-old South African one more 45.30-second lap on his carbon-fiber blades away from qualifying for the biggest athletics meet of them all.
And while Johnson has always been consistent in his position over disabled athletes at regular events, he's also become a Pistorius fan.
"I think, and Oscar and I have discussed this, that I would not have made the decision to allow Paralympic athletes to compete with able-bodied athletes because when you're using prosthetics you just can't know how much, or if, there is any advantage that an athlete may gain," Johnson said.
"Because the decision has been made and I know Oscar - and I consider Oscar a friend - I'm very supportive of him and I want to see him do the best he can possibly do."
Pistorius has already broken new ground. He had to fight before he was cleared to run alongside the world's top runners by world sport's highest court in 2008.
That personal best this July put him inside the Olympic mark and qualified him at the last possible moment for this year's world championships in Daegu, South Korea, making history as the first amputee athlete to compete at the worlds.
"I struggle when people ask, 'What are you trying to prove? What message are you trying to give?' It's not about sending a message, I'm just doing something I enjoy," he said. "My goals are just to be able to look back at my career and know that I didn't let my talent go to waste. I'm not trying to prove a point, I'm just trying to prove to myself that I can be the best that I want to be."
Pistorius hasn't finalized his schedule for 2012 yet, but said he will run three meets early next year in South Africa ahead of his national championships. He's also confirmed at the Paralympic World Cup in Manchester, England, in May and the IAAF event in Ostrava, Czech Republic, later the same month.
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