FROM THE BLOCKS TO THE DOCK FOR PISTORIUS
Oscar Pistorius, the South African sprint runner who has double below-knee amputations, has been charged with the murder of his girlfriend, model and reality TV star, Reeva Steenkamp. In what has been named a ‘bloody valentine’ incident on February 14 last, Ms Steenkamp was found at Pistorius’ private residence in a gated community in Pretoria. The stunning blonde model was allegedly shot four times and died at the scene. Pistorius was arrested and charged with her death. On the 15 of February he attended court facing charges of premeditated murder. Due to his disability, Pistorius is currently being detained at a Pretoria police station but faces another court date tomorrow, the same day that his girlfriend is to be cremeted.
According to sources, Ms Steenkamp arrived at her boyfriends house to spend Valentines Day with him. However it has been reported by neighbours that shouting could be heard coming from the house throughout the evening. It is thought that the model met her demise at 3am that morning. It is reported that Ms Steenkamp was shot four times and it is also speculated that a bloody cricket bat may have been used in the incident. The bat has been removed for forensic and DNA analysis. There was no sign of a forced entry despite Mr Pistorius’ defence that this was a valentines surprise gone wrong and that he mistook his girlfriend for an intruder. He denies the charge of murder and is standing by his claim that he believed his house was being targeted by a burglar. It is also reported that the residence was well known to police with previous incidents of a “domestic nature“ having taken place there.
In another bizarre twist to the story, officers who searched the athletes home allegedly discovered steroids amongst his personal belongings. According to the Sun newspaper, police are examining the possibility that Pistorius shot his girlfriend in a ‘steroid-rage’ – a burst of anger caused by the use of steroids. This is speculative at this point and all will be revealed following the results from blood and DNA tests yet to be carried out.
Oscar Pistorius, the man known as the ‘Blade Runner’ because of the carbon-filler blades on which he runs, has been stopped in his tracks as he faces his biggest challenge to date. The South African athlete is now being compared to OJ Simpson, the retired American college track athlete and professional football player.
Some would describe Pistorius as the epitome of ‘Triumph over Adversity’ – but just who is Oscar Pistorius?
Oscar was born in 1986 in Johannesburg. He was born with congenital absence of the fibula (fibular hemimelia) in both legs. At the age of 11 months old, both his legs were amputated a little below his knees. In 2003 he was introduced to athletics. It was at this point that he was fitted with the running blades we now associate with him. Hence the nickname of the “Blade Runner” and “the fastest man on no legs”. He competed in both Paralympic competitions as well as able-bodied races. However his prosthetic blades became the subject of great criticism. It was claimed that the blades made him faster and therefore added an unfair advantage to his performance over runners with natural legs. The IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federation) in 2007 banned 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”.
Pistorius was monitored with various scientific tests and it was concluded by Professor Dr Peter Bruggemann (Professor of Biomechanics) that Pistorius “has considerable advantages over athletes without prosthetic limbs who were tested by us.” As a result of this conclusion the IAAF ruled that the use of such blades made Pistorius ineligible for competitions run by the IAAF.
Pistorius is not one to take rejection lying down and appealed the finding. This time Pistorius was successful in his arguments and the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld his appeal. It was found that the tests and findings previously carried out did not take into account the disadvantages that athletes with prosthetic limbs suffer at the start and acceleration stages of a race. Therefore the path was now open for Oscar to compete in IAAF run events.
Oscar became the first amputee runner to participate at an Olympics Games in London 2012. He ran in the 400 metres where he came second in his heat but didn’t qualify for the final. He was also a member of the 4 x 400 metre relay. He is so well respected and renowned in South Africa that he was chosen to carry the South African flag at both the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games and again at the opening ceremony for the 2012 Paralympics in London.
In the Paralympics in London he competed in the 100 metres, 200 metres, 400 metres and 4 x 100 metres races. He took a gold medal in the 4 x 100 metres relay and won silver in the 200 metres race. He took home his third medal when he won gold in the 400 metres setting a new Paralympic record of 46.68 seconds.
We may not be as familiar with the athlete in this hemisphere as we are with other super athletes such as Usain Bolt, Mo Farah or Michael Phelps, but Oscar Pistorius is a huge celebrity and has many sponsorship deals and endorsements to his name. He has signed massive contracts with Oakley, BT and Nike. He also modelled for Thierry Mugler. Nike has stated that they will wait for further developments in this case before deciding whether or not to continue their deals with Pistorius. In a statement released by Nike, the sports giant said: “We’re not making any comment at this stage other than to say that the incident is a police matter and we will continue to monitor the situation closely.” In a somewhat strange twist of events Nike were forced to pull an advert with the tagline “I am the bullet in the chamber” featuring Pistorius in the starting blocks.
What the future holds for the Blade Runner is anyone’s guess. This may well be the end of his athletic career. It has been announced that his agent has cancelled all future races so as to enable Pistorius to concentrate one hundred percent on defending the allegations put towards him. Whether this Valentines Day event gone-wrong was a freak accident or a premeditated murder remains to be seen but Pistorius stands firm in his denial of the charges. In an emotional statement made by Oscars father, Henke Pistorious, Henke stated: “We build people up into heroes, who overcome immense challenges, only to take great glee in breaking them down”. It has also allegedly been reported that a close friend of Oscars told reporters that Oscar called him around 4am the morning of the incident saying that there had been an awful accident and that he had shot Reeva. If found guilty he would face at least 25 years in prison.
However it is believed that this is not the first time that the runner has spent time behind bars. In 2009 he was arrested and spent a night in prison for allegedly assaulting a 19 year old girl. Pistorius was hosting a party in his home when he requested the girl to leave. After she refused to do so Pistorius supposedly slammed the front door on her. The charges were later dropped however.
In a reality TV show called ‘Tropika Island of Treasure’ screened in South Africa this week on SABC1, only days after the models tragic death, Reeva Steenkamp is seen competing against other South African celebrities in a bid to win a 1 million Rand prize. The piece is made even sadder and emotional by this quote from the model: “The way that you go out and you make your exit are so important. You’ve either made an impact in a positive way or a negative way. I’m going to miss you all so much. I love you very, very much.”
Where this tragic story goes from here is unknown but it is a case that is going to be full of revelations and will keep us all engrossed for the foreseeable future. It is a terribly sad situation for all involved and I hope that the truth prevails and that justice is done. Rest In Peace Reeva.