Breathless magazine profiles notwithstanding, the International Association of Athletics Federations has ruled (after two postponements) that Oscar Pistorius, the famed double-amputee athlete who sprints on two blade-shaped carbon-fibre prostheses instead of feet, cannot compete in the 2008 Olympics. They determined that his prosthetic Cheetahs give him a substantial advantage over feet-having sprinters.
Tests performed by German professor Gert-Peter Brueggemann showed that the prosthetics confer a 30 percent mechanical advantage. They also let Pistorius run at the same speed as able-bodied runners while using a third less energy.
Pistorius's peops are appealing the ruling, citing "other variables" that have not been taken into account, but that sounds like reaching to me. It's badass that the guy can run without feet, but having him compete against un-prosthetized runners seems like an obvious apples-to-oranges issue.
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Comments
Christopher Mims
says:
Wait, so you're telling me, if I want to be a better runner, I should just cut off my legs and replace them with these robo-calves?
How is this guy *not* a full-blown cyborg?
January 14, 2008 1:27 PM
Alan Bajandas
says:
Sweet! Human legs are obsolete. Soon having legs will be tantamount to riding a horse. "Oh look at the cute Fleshsticks honey, you want to feed him some oats?"
January 14, 2008 1:58 PM
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