OT: The Blade Runner objects!

[Blakeon18]

I saw a mention over the weekend that Oscar Pistorius....the South African who competed in London with 2 prostheses....was beaten by Alan Oliveira in the 200 meters in the Paralympic games.
Alan is also a double amputee. Right after the race Oscar complained that Alan's blades were too long
and that he should not have been allowed to wear them. The official committee said they were fine.

Today in USAToday Oscar apologized. Not for the content of his protest but for the timing of it....right after being beaten. Apparently he thinks he should have cooled off some and then said the same thing.

Question: If he had won the race, would he have made the same complaint?
Question: if Alan had qualified for the London games, would Oscar have been opposed to his running
based on this same issue...i.e. Alan would have an unfair advantage?

Oscar's entrance in the Games in August was inspirational in lots of ways. This recent brouhaha....initial comment and then the 'apology'...takes a bit of the shine off his achievements...imo.

 

[uconnfan68]

I saw a mention over the weekend that Oscar Pistorius....the South African who competed in London with 2 prostheses....was beaten by Alan Oliveira in the 200 meters in the Paralympic games.
Alan is also a double amputee. Right after the race Oscar complained that Alan's blades were too long
and that he should not have been allowed to wear them. The official committee said they were fine.

Today in USAToday Oscar apologized. Not for the content of his protest but for the timing of it....right after being beaten. Apparently he thinks he should have cooled off some and then said the same thing.

Question: If he had won the race, would he have made the same complaint?
Question: if Alan had qualified for the London games, would Oscar have been opposed to his running
based on this same issue...i.e. Alan would have an unfair advantage?

Oscar's entrance in the Games in August was inspirational in lots of ways. This recent brouhaha....initial comment and then the 'apology'...takes a bit of the shine off his achievements...imo.

If you watched the race you'd know why he complained. The Brazilian, who has never run that fast in his life, ran him down from about 8 meters behind in the last 100 meters.

 

[Blakeon18]

Is there some link that would show the race?

 

[Aluminny69]

Oscar Pistorius Beaten in 200m Final by Alan Oliveira [Legal Blades?] |Paralympics HD

 

[trisailin]

This is exactly why Oscar should not have been allowed to run in London. What is the "correct" length/springiness/shape of prosthesis such that the wear does not gain competitive advantage nor disadvantage?
No matter how you do it, it isn't a "fair" competition

 

[ThisJustIn]

There are lots of assessment rules about the paras... How they are classified and such. Can't believe 1) there aren't very specific rules wbiut equipment and 2) if Oscar objected, his crew could have filed pre-race.

Getting beat when someone runs the race of their life isn't an automatic complaint prompter. I'm interested in the facts...

 

[Blakeon18]

The officials say these blades are legal....that pretty much puts a period on it for this race. If they change the rules based on this race then fine but that won't change the legality of this race. Golf poo-bahs are seriously considering banning the long putter....I think they should. But if that happens nobody is even suggesting that the titles won by players using the long putter should be taken away.

On the LPGA tour [not the PGA tour] caddies are permitted to line players up as they take their stance....then move away before the swing is made. I think lining yourself properly is part of the challenge and that caddie behavior should be eliminated. That hardly means that we take away titles retroactively from players who had their bag-toters do just that.

 

[meyers7]

I'm not sure how you are allowed to run in both Olympics??? That doesn't make any sense.

 

[vtcwbuff]

I'm not sure how you are allowed to run in both Olympics??? That doesn't make any sense.

I don't think the IOC should have allowed him to run in the Olympics in the first place. I think it set a precedent that the IOC may come to regret. Mechanical appendages don't belong in the Olympics.

 

[OneTrickPony]

I've never seen the physics behind the analysis made of Pistorius' blades that led to his approval at the Olympics. I felt it wouldn't get much attention unless he medaled...perhaps this latest controversy will get it resolved. Somehow, I doubt it!

 

[Sakibomb25]

When I read what happened, I came away disappointed with Pistorius. He came off as a sore loser, plain and simple. For him to say that his opponent couldn't have beaten him unless he cheated (he said that Oliveria was not a sub 21-second runner) left a sour taste in my mouth. He's charming only when it suits him, but when it doesn't... the claws come out. Very, very disappointing.

Not to mention, Pistorius mentioned that Oliveria was able to take larger strides, but an article I read proves that otherwise (sorry, don't have the link). And, for him to say that he is at a disadvantage because Oliveria's strides are longer is like Tyson Gay accusing Usain Bolt of cheating because Bolt is taller.

And his apology was no apology. He basically said that he would still accuse Oliveria of cheating, no matter what. Just reeks of a sore loser. He's done a lot for para-Olympic athletes, but he does himself a true disservice here.

 

[Aluminny69]

I've never seen the physics behind the analysis made of Pistorius' blades that led to his approval at the Olympics. I felt it wouldn't get much attention unless he medaled...perhaps this latest controversy will get it resolved. Somehow, I doubt it!

My son is more into track than I am. He says that Pistorius is not subject to muscle fatigue like normal athletes, giving him an unfair advantage.

 

[uconnfan68]

My son is more into track than I am. He says that Pistorius is not subject to muscle fatigue like normal athletes, giving him an unfair advantage.

Silliest thing I've ever heard. Any idea what the ends of his legs feel like during and after a race? Try crawling for a day on your elbows.