Oscar pistorius' wife
Oscar Pistorius
South African sprinter and convicted murderer (born )
Pistorius in | |
| Full&#;name | Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Blade Runner; the fastest man on no legs; Tink Tink; "Oz" Pistorius[1] |
| Nationality | South African |
| Born | () 22 November (age&#;38) Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Alma&#;mater | University of Pretoria |
| Years&#;active | – |
| Height | &#;m (&#;ft) (without prosthesis) |
| Weight | &#;kg (&#;lb) (without prosthesis) ()[2] |
| Country | South Africa |
| Sport | Running |
| Disability | Double below-knee amputee |
| Disability&#;class | T43 (competed in T44) |
| Event | Sprint (, , m) |
| Retired | |
| Paralympic finals | Summer Paralympics: &#;m (T44)&#;– Bronze; &#;m (T44)&#;– Gold Summer Paralympics: &#;m (T44)&#;– Gold, &#;m (T44)&#;– Gold; &#;m (T44)&#;– Gold |
| World finals | Paralympic World Cup: &#;m (T44)&#;– Gold; &#;m (T44)&#;– Gold |
| National finals | South African Senior Athletics Championships: &#;m (T44)&#;– Gold |
| Highest world ranking | &#;m: 1st ()[3] &#;m: 1st ()[4] |
| Personal best(s) | &#;m (T44): &#;s (,&#;WR)[6] &#;m (T44): &#;s (,&#;WR)[7] |
| Updated on 29 August | |
Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius (pist-OR-ee-əs, Afrikaans:[pəˈstuəriœs]; born 22 November ) is a South African former professional sprinter and convicted murderer.
He was the 10th athlete to compete at both the Paralympic Games and Olympic Games.
Oscar pistorius biography girlfriend Hirsch, V. In January , he competed in his first meter race. Disability or extraordinary talent—Francesco Lentini three legs versus Oscar Pistorius no legs. The wisdom of nature: An evolutionary heuristic for human enhancement.Pistorius ran in both nondisabled sprint events and in sprint events for below-knee amputees. Both of his legs were amputated below the knee 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' athletic career ended when he was convicted of murder in [9] He was first convicted of culpable homicide of his then-girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, which was subsequently upgraded to murder upon appeal.
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 World Championships in Athletics, Pistorius was the first amputee to win a nondisabled world track medal. At the Summer Olympics, Pistorius was the first double-leg amputee participant.
Who is oscar pistorius father A casuistic approach rejects the idea of general norms that can be deductively applied in all cases Jonsen, Oscar Pistorius is a Paralympic bionic leg runner and record holder in the , , and meters who wants to compete in the Olympics. But the lawfulness of the exclusion is one thing, the ethical and political dimensions another. Metropolitan Museum Cleveland Museum of Art.On 14 February , 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 [13][14]
Pistorius was temporarily released on house arrest in October 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 , 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 after serving a total of years in prison, in addition to seven months of house arrest.[19]
Early life
Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius was born to Henke and Sheila Pistorius on 22 November in Sandton, Johannesburg, in what was then Transvaal Province (now Gauteng Province) of South Africa.[1] He grew up in a Christian home[20] and has an elder brother and a younger sister.[21][22] Pistorius credits his mother, who died at the age of 43 when Pistorius was 15 years old, as a major influence in his life.[23][24] Pistorius is from an Afrikaner family with partial Italian ancestry from his maternal great-grandfather, who was an Italian emigrant to Kenya.[25]Afrikaans is his mother tongue and he is also fluent in English.[26][27][28]
Pistorius was born with fibular hemimelia (congenital absence of the fibula) in both legs.
When he was 11 months old, both of his legs were amputated halfway between his knees and ankles.[2] He attended Constantia Kloof Primary School[29] and Pretoria Boys High School,[1][30] where he played rugby union in the school's third XV team.[31] He played water polo and tennis at provincial level between the ages of 11 and [31] In addition, Pistorius took part in club Olympic wrestling,[31][32][33] and trained at Jannie Brooks's garage gym in Pretoria.
Brooks remarked that it took six months before he noticed that Pistorius "had no legs", but nonetheless was able to do many exercises, including "boxing, skipping, and doing press-ups".[34]
After a serious rugby knee injury in June , Pistorius was introduced to running in January while undergoing rehabilitation at the University of Pretoria's High Performance Centre[35] with coach Ampie Louw, and "never looked back".[31] His first racing blades were fitted by South African prosthetist Francois van der Watt.
Because he was unable to find suitable running blades in Pretoria, Van der Watt ordered the pair to be made by a local engineer. However, as these quickly broke, Van der Watt referred Pistorius to American prosthetist and Paralympic sprinter Brian Frasure to be fitted for blades by Icelandic company Össur.[36][37]
Pistorius began studying for a bachelor of commerce ()[21] in business management with sports science at the University of Pretoria in [31][32][38] In a June interview for his University's website, he joked: "I won't graduate soon.
With all the training I have had to cut down on my subjects. Hopefully I'll finish by the time I'm 30!"[21] Asked by a journalist for his "sporting motto", he said: "You're not disabled by the disabilities you have, you are able by the abilities you have."[31]
Sporting career
Pistorius competed in T44 (single below-knee amputees) events though he is classified in T43 (double below-knee amputee).[39] Sometimes referred to as the "Blade Runner" (after the science fictionfilm of the same name) and "the fastest man on no legs",[33][40][41] Pistorius took part in the Summer Paralympics in Athens and came third overall in the T44[33]metre event.[42] Despite falling in the preliminary round for the &#;metres, he qualified for the final.[43] He went on to win the final in a world record time of &#;seconds, beating a pair of American runners, Marlon Shirley and Brian Frasure, both with single amputations.[42]
In , Pistorius finished sixth in the nondisabled South African Championships over &#;metres with a world-record time of &#;seconds,[33] and at the Paralympic World Cup in the same year, he won gold in the &#;metres and &#;metres, beating his previous metre world record.[44][45] At the IPC Athletics World Championships, Pistorius won gold in the , and metre events, breaking the world record over &#;metres.[46] On 17 March , he set a disability sports world record for the &#;metres (&#;seconds) at the South African Senior Athletics Championships in Durban;[47] and at the Nedbank Championships for the Physically Disabled held in Johannesburg in April He became the world record holder of the and metre events with times of and &#;seconds, respectively.[6][48]
Pistorius was invited by the IAAF to take part in what would have been his first international nondisabled event, the metre race at the IAAF Grand Prix in Helsinki, Finland, in July He was unable to attend, however, because of school commitments.[49] On 13 July , Pistorius ran in the metre race at Rome's Golden Gala and finished second in run B with a time of &#;seconds, behind Stefano Braciola who ran &#;seconds.[50] This was a warm-up for his appearance at the &#;metres at the Norwich UnionBritish Grand Prix at the Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield on 15 July [51] As American Olympic champion Jeremy Wariner stumbled at the start of the race and stopped running, Pistorius took seventh place in a field of eight in wet conditions with a time of &#;seconds.
However, he was later disqualified for running outside his lane. The race was won by American Angelo Taylor with a time of &#;seconds.[52][53] Pistorius had ambitions of competing in other non-disabled events. In particular, he had set his sights on competing at the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China,[54] but was not selected by the South African Olympic Committee.
Dispute over prostheses
Further information: Mechanics of Oscar Pistorius's running blades
Pistorius has been the subject of criticism because of claims that his artificial limbs give him an advantage over runners with natural ankles and feet. He runs with J-shaped carbon-fibre prostheses called the "Flex-Foot Cheetah" developed by biomedical engineer Van Phillips and manufactured by Össur.[33]
On 26 March , the IAAF amended its competition rules to include a ban on the use of "any technical device that incorporates springs, wheels, or any other element that provides a user with an advantage over another athlete not using such a device".[55] The IAAF stated that the amendment was not specifically aimed at Pistorius.
To decide whether he was running with an unfair advantage, the IAAF monitored his track performances using high-definition cameras to film his race against Italian club runners in Rome on 13 July, and his &#;metres in Sheffield on 15 July ,[40][56] at which he placed last.[53]
In November , Pistorius was invited to take part in a series of scientific tests at the German Sports University Cologne under the guidance of Professor of Biomechanics Dr Peter Brüggemann in conjunction with Elio Locatelli, who was responsible for all technical issues in the IAAF.
After two days of tests, Brüggemann reported on his findings on behalf of the IAAF. The report claimed that Pistorius's limbs used 25% less energy than runners with complete natural legs running at the same speed, and that they led to less vertical motion combined with 30% less mechanical work for lifting the body.[57] In December, Brüggemann told Die Welt newspaper that Pistorius "has considerable advantages over athletes without prosthetic limbs who were tested by us.
It was more than just a few percentage points. I did not expect it to be so clear."[58] Based on these findings, on 14 January , the IAAF ruled Pistorius's prostheses ineligible for use in competitions conducted under the IAAF rules, including the Summer Olympic Games.[59] Pistorius called the decision "premature and highly subjective" and pledged to continue fighting for his dream.
His manager, Peet van Zylm, said his appeal would be based on advice from experts in the United States who had said that the report "did not take enough variables into consideration".[60]
Pistorius subsequently appealed against the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland, and appeared before the tribunal at the end of April [61] After a two-day hearing, on 16 May , CAS upheld Pistorius's appeal and the IAAF council decision was revoked with immediate effect.
The CAS panel unanimously determined that Brüggemann tested Pistorius's biomechanics only at full-speed when he was running in a straight line (unlike a real metre race); that the report did not consider the disadvantages that Pistorius has at the start and acceleration phases of the race; and that overall there was no evidence that he had any net advantage over non-disabled athletes.[62] In response to the announcement, Pistorius said: "My focus throughout this appeal has been to ensure that disabled athletes be given the chance to compete and compete fairly with non-disabled athletes.
I look forward to continuing my quest to qualify for the Olympics."[63]
Attempts to qualify for Summer Olympic Games
To have a chance of representing South Africa at the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing in the individual metre race, Pistorius had to attain the Olympic "A" standard time of &#;seconds; the "B" qualifying time of &#;seconds, which applies if no other athlete from his country achieved the faster time, did not apply.
Each national athletics federation is permitted to enter three athletes in an event if the "A" standard is met, and only one athlete if the "B" standard is met.[64] However, he was eligible for selection as a member of the relay squad without qualifying.[65] His best chance was to try for a time of close to 46&#;seconds to make the 4&#;×&#;metre relay team.
However, he said: "If I make the team I don't want to be the reserve for the relay, I want to be in the top four. I want to bring something to the race and make the relay stronger." To give him a chance of making the South African Olympic team, selectors delayed naming the team until 17 July.[66]
On 2 July , Pistorius competed in the &#;metres in the B race of the Notturna International in Milan but was "disappointed"[66][67] when at &#;seconds his fourth-place finish was over the minimum Olympic qualifying time.[66][68] His performance on 11 July at the Rome Golden Gala was an improvement of more than a second, though his sixth-place time of &#;seconds in the B race was still over the Olympic qualification time.
Nonetheless, he was pleased with his performance, commenting that he felt he could improve on it.[69]
On 15 July , IAAF general secretary Pierre Weiss commented that the world athletics body preferred that the South African Olympic Committee not select Pistorius for its 4&#;×&#;&#;metres relay team "for reasons of safety", saying that Pistorius could cause "serious damage" and risk the physical safety of himself and other athletes if he ran in the main pack of the relay.[70] Pistorius branded this as the IAAF's "last desperate attempt" to get him not to qualify,[71] and threatened legal action if the IAAF did not confirm that it had no objections to his participation in the relay.[72] The IAAF responded by issuing a statement saying that Pistorius was welcome to seek qualification for the Olympics and future competitions under IAAF rules: "The IAAF fully respects the recent CAS decision regarding the eligibility of Oscar Pistorius to compete in IAAF competitions, and certainly has no wish to influence the South African Olympic Committee, who has full authority to select a men's 4&#;×&#;m&#;relay team for the Beijing Olympics."[73][74]
Coming third, with a personal best time of &#;seconds, at the Spitzen Leichtathletik meeting in Lucerne, Switzerland, on 16 July , Pistorius failed to qualify for the &#;metres at the Summer Olympic Games by &#;seconds.
Athletics South Africa later announced that he would also not be selected for the 4&#;×&#;&#;metres relay team as four other runners had better times.[73][75] Pistorius would not have been the debut leg amputee to participate in the Olympic Games as George Eyser had competed earlier. Pistorius's compatriot Natalie du Toit, a swimmer whose left leg was amputated above the knee after a traffic accident, was the debut amputee Olympian, at the Summer Olympic Games.[76] Asked about the possibility of the IAAF offering him a wild card to take part in the Olympics, Pistorius responded: "I do not believe that I would accept.
If I have to take part in the Beijing Games I should do it because I qualified." He expressed a preference for focusing on qualification for the Summer Olympic Games in London,[67] stating that it was a more realistic target as "sprinters usually reach their peak between 26 and I will be 25 in London and I'll also have two, three years' preparation."[68]
Summer Paralympics
Pistorius participated in the Summer Paralympics in Beijing in the , and &#;metres (T44).
On 9 September, in the heats of the &#;metres, he set a Paralympic record with his time of &#;seconds.[77] Later, following a slow start, he rallied to snatch gold from the United States' Jerome Singleton in the &#;metres in a time of &#;seconds, &#;seconds ahead of the silver medallist.[78] Four days later, on 13 September, the defending Paralympic champion in the metre sprint[79] won his second gold in the event in a time of &#;seconds,[80] setting another Paralympic record.[77] He completed a hat-trick by winning gold in the &#;metres in a world-record time of &#;seconds on 16 September,[81] calling it "a memory that will stay with me for the rest of my life".[82]
and qualification for Summer Olympic Games
In January , a slimmer, trimmer Pistorius won three IPC Athletics World titles in New Zealand but was beaten for the first time in seven years in the &#;metres by Jerome Singleton.[83] He subsequently won the T44 &#;metres in &#;seconds and the &#;metres in &#;seconds at the BT Paralympic World Cup in May to reassert himself as the world's leading Paralympic sprinter.[84]
Pistorius competed across a number of non-disabled races in the summer of and posted three times under 46&#;seconds, but it was at the 19th Internazionale di Atletica Sports Solidarity Meeting in Lignano, Italy, on 19 July, that he set a personal best of &#;seconds in the &#;metres, attaining the World Championships and Olympic Games "A" standard qualification mark.[8][85][86]
Pistorius won the metres event with a posted time that ranked him as 15th fastest in the world.[87]
On 8 August , it was announced that Pistorius had been included in the South African team for the World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, and had been selected for the metre and the 4&#;×&#;&#;metre relay squad.
In the heats of the &#;metres, Pistorius ran in &#;seconds and qualified for the semi-final.
Oscar pistorius ethnicity: In order to provide for a satisfactory discussion of the re presentation of human boundaries within sport it is necessary to give a fairly detailed chronology of the course of events. The examination of this background shows how Olympic institutions controlled, well before the Pistorius case, involvement by athletes with disabilities in the Olympic Games in an organised and progressive campaign. Oscar Pistorius—Independent scientific study concludes that cheetah prosthetics offer clear mechanical advantage. To browse Academia.
However, in the semi-final, he ran &#;seconds and was eliminated.[88]
In the heats of the 4&#;×&#;&#;metres relay, Pistorius ran the opening leg as South Africa advanced to the finals with a national record time of 2&#;minutes &#;seconds. However, he was not selected to run in the finals since he had the slowest split time of seconds.
This caused a controversy, as the first leg is normally Pistorius's slowest since it requires a start from blocks, and he was restricted to the first leg by Athletics South Africa "on safety grounds". He initially tweeted: "Haven't been included in final. Pretty gutted.", but later added: "Well done to the SA 4 × m team.
Was really hard watching, knowing I deserved to be part of it [sic]."[89] Pistorius still won the silver medal because he ran in the heats, becoming the first amputee to win a non-disabled world track medal.[90][91] Reflecting on his World Championship debut, Pistorius said: "I really enjoyed the whole experience.
I ran my second fastest time ever in the heats and was really pleased to have reached the semi-finals. In the relay, I was unbelievably chuffed to have broken the South African record, and hopefully my name will stay on that for a long time to come."[92]
On 4 July , the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) announced that Pistorius had been included in the Olympic team[93] for the metre and the 4&#;×&#;&#;metres relay races.[94][95]
Summer Olympic Games
At the Summer Olympic Games on 4 August , Pistorius became the debut amputee runner to compete at an Olympic Games.[96] In the metre race, he took second place in the first heat of five runners, finishing with a time of &#;seconds (his best time that season) to advance to the semi-finals on 5 August.[97] He ran in the second semi-final, where he finished eighth and last with a time of seconds.[98][99]
In the first semi-final of the 4&#;×&#;&#;metres relay race on 9 August, the second leg runner of the South African team, Ofentse Mogawane, fell and was injured before reaching the third leg runner, Pistorius.
South Africa was passed into the final on appeal to the IAAF, due to interference by Vincent Kiilu, the Kenyan athlete who downed Mogawane.[][] The South African relay team eventually finished eighth out of the field of nine in the final on 10 August. However, it established a season's best time for the team of 3&#;minutes &#;seconds,[] with Pistorius running the final leg in &#;seconds.[] Pistorius was chosen to carry the South African flag for the closing ceremony.[]
Summer Paralympics
Pistorius also carried the flag at the opening ceremony of the Summer Paralympics on 29 August.[] He entered the T44 classificationmen's &#;metres, &#;metres and &#;metres races, and the T42–T46 4&#;×&#;&#;metres relay.[]
In the metre competition, Pistorius established a new T43 world record of &#;seconds in his heat on 1 September,[7] but he was defeated in the final the next day by Alan Oliveira of Brazil.
Pistorius took silver, and subsequently complained about the length of Oliveira's blades. He later apologised for the timing of his remarks, but not the content of his complaint.[] The IPC confirmed the length of Oliveira's blades were proportional to his body, with all the finalists measured before the race.
The IPC also confirmed that Pistorius had raised the issue of blade length with it six weeks prior to the race.
Oscar pistorius biography pdf Your article is protected by copyright and all rights are held exclusively by T. Jolly, P. He successfully qualified through the first qualifying round but came last in his sem-final. Psychology and Education: A Multidisciplinary Journal,SASCOC issued a statement welcoming Pistorius's apology for his outburst, declared its full support for him and promised to assist him in discussions with the IPC about the issue of lengthened prostheses after the conclusion of the Games. The IPC expressed willingness to engage with Pistorius about the issue.[] Australian runner Jack Swift[] and American runner Jerome Singleton[] also expressed support for Pistorius's position.
Pistorius won a team gold medal on 5 September, running the anchor leg as part of the South African 4&#;×&#;&#;metres relay team setting a team world record time of &#;seconds.[] His Beijing Olympics metre title was defended with a season's best time of &#;seconds but was succeeded by Great Britain's Jonnie Peacock.[] On 8 September, the last full day of competition, Pistorius won gold in the T44 &#;metres with a time of &#;seconds, breaking the Paralympic record.[]
Achievements
Disability sports events
| Time (seconds) | Result | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| &#;m (class T44) | |||
| [6] (world record) | Gold | 4 April | Nedbank Championships for the Physically Disabled Germiston, Gauteng, South Africa |
| [] | Bronze | 17–28 September | Summer Paralympics Athens, Greece |
| [78] | Gold | 9 September | Summer Paralympics Beijing, People's Republic of China |
| [44] | Gold | 15 May | Visa Paralympic World Cup Manchester, England, United Kingdom |
| [] | Gold | 5 September | IPC Athletics World Championships Assen, Netherlands |
| [] | Silver | 26 January | IPC Athletics World Championships Christchurch, New Zealand |
| [3] | Gold | 6 June | Sportfest Duisburg, Germany |
| [] | Gold | 1 June | Dutch Open National Championships Emmeloord, Netherlands |
| [] | Gold | United States | |
| &#;m (class T44) | |||
| [] ( in semi-final&#;– T43 world record)[7] | Silver | 2 September | Summer Paralympics London, England, United Kingdom |
| [48] (world record) | Gold | 5 April | Nedbank Championships for the Physically Disabled Germiston, Gauteng, South Africa |
| [80] (Paralympic record)[77] | Gold | 13 September | Summer Paralympics Beijing, People's Republic of China |
| [4] | Gold | 15 June | German Open National Championships Berlin, Germany |
( in semi-final&#;– world record)[] | Gold | 8 September | IPC Athletics World Championships Assen, Netherlands |
| [] | Gold | 24 January | IPC Athletics World Championships Christchurch, New Zealand |
| [] | Gold | 17–28 September | Summer Paralympics Athens, Greece |
| [45] (world record) | Gold | 15 May | Visa Paralympic World Cup Manchester, England, United Kingdom |
| [] | Gold | 31 May | Dutch Open National Championships Emmeloord, Netherlands |
| [] | Gold | USA Endeavor Games USA | |
| &#;m (class T44) | |||
| [] (Paralympic record) | Gold | 8 September | Summer Paralympics London, England, United Kingdom |
| [81] (world record) | Gold | 16 September | Summer Paralympics Beijing, People's Republic of China |
| [] | Gold | 1 June | Dutch Open National Championships Emmeloord, Netherlands |
| [] | Gold | 29 January | IPC Athletics World Championships Christchurch, New Zealand |
| [] | Gold | 4 September | IPC Athletics World Championships Assen, Netherlands |
| 4 × m relay (classes T42–T46) | |||
| [] (world record) | Gold | 5 September | Summer Paralympics London, England, United Kingdom |
| [] | Gold | 29 January | IPC Athletics World Championships Christchurch, New Zealand |
Non-disabled sports events
Other awards and accolades
In , Pistorius was conferred the Order of Ikhamanga in Bronze (OIB) by then President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, for outstanding achievement in sports.[1][38] On 9 December , Pistorius was awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Helen Rollason Award, which is conferred for outstanding courage and achievement in the face of adversity.[] This was later revoked following his conviction for murder.
In May , Pistorius made the "Time "&#;– Time magazine's annual list of the world's most influential people&#;– appearing third in the "Heroes & Pioneers" section. Erik Weihenmayer, the first blind person to climb Mount Everest, wrote in an essay that Pistorius was "on the cusp of a paradigm shift in which disability becomes ability, disadvantage becomes advantage.
Yet we mustn't lose sight of what makes an athlete great. It's too easy to credit Pistorius's success to technology. Through birth or circumstance, some are given certain gifts, but it's what one does with those gifts, the hours devoted to training, the desire to be the best, that is at the true heart of a champion."[] In , he made the list again.[]
In February , Pistorius was awarded the Laureus World Sports Award for Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability for [] On 22 August , he was honoured with the unveiling of a large mural depicting his achievements in the town of Gemona, Italy.[]
On 9 September , Pistorius was shortlisted by the IPC for the Whang Youn Dai Achievement Award as a competitor "who is fair, honest and is uncompromising in his or her values and prioritises the promotion of the Paralympic Movement above personal recognition".
According to director Craig Spence, he was nominated by an unnamed external organisation from South Korea.[] The award went to two other athletes.[]
After the Summer Paralympics, the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow announced it would confer on Pistorius, among others, an honorary doctorate.[] In February , following his conviction for culpable homicide, the university revoked the honorary degree.[][]
Sponsorship and charitable activities
In , Pistorius had sponsorship deals worth US$2 million a year with Össur,[]BT, Nike, Oakley and Thierry Mugler.[] He also participated as a model in advertising campaigns.[][]
Following the murder charge, sponsors were initially hesitant to abandon him, but after a week sponsors began to withdraw their support.[][]
In , Pistorius collaborated in the release of a music CD called Olympic Dream.
Produced in Italy, it consists of discoremixes of music pieces that Pistorius finds inspirational, and two tracks written for him, "Olympic Dream" and "Run Boy Run", for which he provided voiceovers. Part of the CD's proceeds of sale went to charity.[] Pistorius also actively supports the Mineseeker Foundation, a charity that works to raise awareness for landmine victims and has a support programme to provide prostheses for survivors.[]
Personal life
Pistorius is related to the South African psychological profiler, Micki Pistorius, who is his aunt.[]
Pistorius has three visible tattoos: the dates of his mother's birth and death ("LVIII V VIII – II III VI" – 8 May – 6 March ) are tattooed on the inside of his right arm;[23] on his back is the Bible verse 1 Corinthians –27 which begins, "I do not run like a man running aimlessly";[] on his right arm are the Olympic rings and olive wreath.
He lived in Silverwoods Country Estate, Pretoria.[] The house was sold in June [] Aside from running, his interests include architecture,[] motorcycling, playing the electric guitar, and breeding race horses.[]
In February , Pistorius was seriously injured when he was thrown from a boat in an accident on the Vaal River near Johannesburg.
He was airlifted to Milpark Hospital, where he underwent surgery to repair broken facial bones, including his nose and jaw.[] There were initial concerns about his fitness, but he recovered fully. However, the accident affected his training and running schedule for that year.[]
Golf
In , Pistorius played in the Laureus World Sports Awards Golf Challenge at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates[] and the Help-net Fund Celebrity Charity Golf Day.[] He was scheduled as an amateur golfer in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship held at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns in Scotland.
Pistorius has a 21 handicap in South Africa, but played off an 18 handicap for the Championship.[]
Publications and media appearances
Pistorius's autobiography, Dream Runner, was published in Italian in with Gianni Merlo, a journalist with La Gazzetta dello Sport.[] An English version titled Blade Runner was released in []
In , Pistorius appeared on L'isola dei famosi, an Italian version of Celebrity Survivor.[] On 7 January , he appeared as a special guest on the Italian version of Dancing with the Stars called Ballando con le Stelle at Auditorium Rai in Rome, where he danced a tango with Annalisa Longo to ABBA's "The Winner Takes It All".[]
On 9 October , Pistorius appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.[] He was also scheduled to appear on Piers Morgan Tonight and the Larry King Now show at later dates.[]
Murder of Reeva Steenkamp
Main article: Trial of Oscar Pistorius
In the early morning of Thursday, 14 February , Pistorius shot and killed Reeva Steenkamp at his home in Pretoria.[][][] Pistorius admitted that he shot Steenkamp four times, causing her death, but claimed he mistook her for a possible intruder.[]
Pistorius's murder trial began on 3 March in the Pretoria High Court.[][] On 20 May , the trial proceedings were adjourned until 30 June to enable Pistorius to undergo psychiatric evaluation to establish whether he could be held criminally responsible for shooting Steenkamp.
Judge Thokozile Masipa agreed to a request for the evaluation by prosecutor Gerrie Nel after forensic psychiatrist Merryll Vorster testified for the defence that she had diagnosed Pistorius with generalised anxiety disorder.[] On 30 June , the trial resumed after the evaluation reports said Pistorius could be held criminally responsible.
The state prosecutor was quoted as saying, "Mr. Pistorius did not suffer from a mental illness or defect that would have rendered him not criminally responsible for the offence charged."[] The defense closed its case on 8 July and closing arguments were heard on 7 and 8 August.[][]
On 12 September, Pistorius was found guilty of culpable homicide and one firearm-related charge of reckless endangerment related to discharging a firearm in a restaurant.
He was found not guilty of two other firearm-related charges relating to possession of illegal ammunition and firing a firearm through the sunroof of a car.[10][11][12] On 21 October , he received a prison sentence of a maximum of five years for culpable homicide and a concurrent three-year suspended prison sentence for the separate reckless endangerment conviction.[13][14]
Prison term
In June , Pistorius was recommended for early release, as early as August.
South African Commissioner of Correctional Services Zach Modise told the BBC of the decision by the case management committee at the Kgosi Mampuru II prison in Pretoria, where Pistorius was being held: "Under South African law he is eligible for release under 'correctional supervision' having served a sixth of his sentence."[]
After Pistorius served approximately one-sixth of his prison term, his release date to house arrest was announced for 21 August This release was based on good behaviour and the fact that he was not considered a danger to the community.
Pistorius was expected to remain under house arrest and correctional supervision, and was expected to perform community service as part of his continuing sentence. Regardless of his release from prison, Pistorius could not return to official athletic competition until the whole five years of his sentence was complete.[] On 19 August , his release was unexpectedly blocked by South Africa's Justice Minister Michael Masutha.
According to Masutha, the parole board's decision for early release was "premature". Legal experts noted that the move could have been due to political pressure and had implications for other cases of pending early release.[] He was released from prison on 19 October []
Case appeal
On 4 November , prosecutors applied to the sentencing judge for permission to appeal the culpable homicide verdict, stating that the five-year prison term was "shockingly light, inappropriate and would not have been imposed by any reasonable court".[] Judge Thokozile Masipa ruled on 10 December that the prosecution could challenge her ruling of acquitting Pistorius of premeditated murder and convicting him of the lesser charge of culpable homicide; however she ruled that the state could not appeal the length of the sentence.
The case was then set for appeal in front of a five-person panel at the Supreme Court of Appeal.[]
The date for prosecutors to submit court papers outlining their arguments was set for 17 August , and the date for the defence team's response was set for 17 September The date for the appeal hearing was set for November [] The prosecutors' argument rested on Judge Masipa's application of the legal principle of dolus eventualis (whether an accused did actually foresee the outcome of his actions, rather than whether he or she should have), and that the judge made an error in concluding Pistorius had not foreseen that by firing four shots through the closed door of the toilet cubicle, he would kill or injure whoever was behind the door.[]
The appeal was heard on 3 November , in the Supreme Court of Appeal, Bloemfontein.
The matter was heard before five Supreme Court judges.
Oscar pistorius biography images This e-offprint is for personal use only and shall not be self-archived in electronic repositories. It appears your browser does not have it turned on. Disability or extraordinary talent—Francesco Lentini three legs versus Oscar Pistorius no legs. In Paralympic sports, athletes often depend on some form of equipment to enable activities of daily living, including the ability to participate in sport.By a unanimous decision,[] the court overturned Pistorius's culpable homicide conviction and found him guilty of murder in the death of Reeva Steenkamp. Judge Eric Leach read the summary of judgment. The panel of five judges found for the prosecutor's argument that Pistorius must have known that someone would die if he fired through the closed door into a small toilet cubicle.
In the words of Judge Leach, "Although he may have been anxious, it is inconceivable that a rational person could have believed he was entitled to fire at this person with a heavy-calibre firearm, without taking even that most elementary precaution of firing a warning shot, which the accused said he elected not to fire as he thought the ricochet might harm him."[]
According to the judgment, the person who Pistorius thought was in the cubicle had nothing to do with the results of his actions.[15][][] The culpable homicide verdict was replaced with a murder conviction, and the case was referred back to the trial court for a sentencing hearing when it reconvened on 18 April [15][]