Arguably one of the most well-known athletes in the world, Oscar Pistorius has not allowed hisphysical disability to get in the way of his sporting dreams. The South African grew up in anenvironment where he was treated like any other person, even though he had lost both his legs at just months old due to a congenital condition. His mentality and strive to be an equal propelled Pistoriusinto the world of sports, specifically disability sports initially. His domination of that scene prompted himto aim higher, and the dream of competing at the Olympic Games fueled Pistorius for many years.From his failed attempt at qualification for the Beijing Olympic Games to becoming the firstamputee to run at the London Olympic Games, Pistorius has proven himself to be more than anequal among able-bodied men. His athletic prowess and commercial endorsements are testaments tothat. But his journey to athletic stardom was far from a fairy tale, with controversies, such as hisdispute over the International Association of Athletics Federations ban on his running prosthetics,littering his career. But perhaps it is no less than what the world should expect of Pistorius, or anyother world-class athlete. Our embracement of Pistorius the athlete, as well as the man, means that hehas blinded us from his disability. That is Pistorius’ greatest victory.
