Spotted this story in the tabloids today:
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/li...rts.html?in_article_id=507475&in_page_id=1781
If he wins his appeal, we may some very different designs of running shoes at the next olympics.
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Re: Blade runner
Its a difficult one. A double amputee wants to run in the 'main' olympics. On the surface that sounds like a noble request that should be granted. On the other hand, his spring loaded artificial limbs means (if I recall coreectly) that he only as to expend 30% of the energy of an able bodied running to achieve the same. Unfortunatly, I agree he should be banned.
The next challenge with the development of this technology, what will become of the para-olympics? Will they become tests of ability or tests of the size of the bank balance to develop these 'blades'? -
Re: Blade runner
Thought I would include the following. Out of interest I Googled him for more information.
Born without the fibula in both legs and missing a number of other bones besides, Pistorius was 11 months old when his parents, Hende and Sheila, having consulted medical experts the world over, reluctantly signed the papers agreeing to have their young son's limbs amputated beneath the knee. "When people ask me what it's like having artificial legs I reply, 'I don't know. What's it like having real legs?' To all intents and purposes, I was born like this and it's all I know.
Fascinating stuff. -
Re: Blade runner
The video for this can be found on the following web link
On page 2 of 442 under the world news section
http://media.smh.com.au/?sssdmh=dm16.297682&category=WorldNews&rid=34620Last edited: Jan 16, 2008 -
Re: Blade runner
The IAAF released this info:
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Re: Blade runner
If having blades gives this young man such an advantage where are all his record breaking times?:confused: -
Re: Blade runner
This would be more likely over the 400m where maintaining maximum velocity for a long period of time is the key. He is not very fast off the mark (relatively), but maintains a high velocity and is relatively faster over the second 200m. Supposedly this is due to the fact that he has to do 'less work' and does not fatigue like full limbed athletes.
Pretty amazing guy however way you look at it though! -
Re: Blade runner
This weeks Time Magazine has a story on this: -
Re: Blade runner
This has parallels with the ban on the Spira running shoe. -
Re: Blade runner
The latest British Journal of Sports Medicine has this editorial on the case:
Pistorius ineligible for the Olympic Games: the right decision (subscription access required) -
He has one the appeal
Sports Illustrated are reporting:
Amputee runner wins right to try for Olympic spot
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Re: Blade runner
The video for this is now on page 76 of 98
The page number keeps changing.
The title of the video is
"Double amputee won't run at Beijing"Last edited: May 16, 2008 -
Re: Blade runner
There are lots of video clips at YouTube on this.
Here is one of them:
Last edited by a moderator: Sep 22, 2016 -
It is interesting that as everyone starts fading at the last straight he is still powering on.
The line must be drawn some where, if he was allowed to run in the Olympics this year it would only mean the Olympics would be won by the "6 million dollar man" in 2012, Go Steve Austin !:D -
Re: He has one the appeal
I just thought, with a pair of blades attached to my legs I'd stand at about 8 feet tall- My teenage dream of breaking the high jump world record may come true after all. -
Here is a very good summary of the situation from ScienceDaily:
Study Revives Olympic Prospects For Amputee Sprinter -
I've had several debates with guys at my track club recently regarding pistorius. With most of us predominantly running from 200 --> 800m, we figured the main limiting factor at our level in 400m running was the lactic in the last 80 --> 120m, this man's limiting factor is not that part of the race! It seems he clearly runs -ve splits every time he runs, perhaps 24/22.5? Also, I don't know too many runners who have been in the sport for less than 4 years who can suddenly run 46's?
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Without arguing the case of Pistorius and whether he should/should not be in the Olympics with able bodied runners, his advantage over able bodied runners is that he doesn't have to worry about stress #s, tenosynovitis, compartment syndromes etc. that elite runners worry about.
Just a point! -
I believe that anyone who wants to run in the Olympics is definitely at a disadvantage if they have bilateral transtibial amputations!!!:drinks -
Re: Blade runner
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Here is the full decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) can be found here:
http://www.tas-cas.org/recent-decision (click on PDF on right) -
The fastest runner on artificial legs: different limbs, similar function?
Weyand PG, Bundle MW, McGowan CP, Grabowski AM, Brown MB, Kram R, Herr HM.
J Appl Physiol. 2009 Jun 18. [Epub ahead of print] -
Guest
Dear colleagues,
MRC researcher A/Prof Tim Bach was featured on the ABC's science program Catalyst for the olympics special edition in July 2008. The program featured a story on the use of "blades" prostheses, which can be viewed for free here:
http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/2320343%20.htm -
Running-specific prostheses limit ground-force during sprinting.
Craig P. McGowan, William J. McDermott, Matthew T. Beale, Rodger Kram, and Hugh M. Herr.
Biol. Lett., Published online before print November 4, 2009
Notion That Amputee Runners Gain Advantage From Protheses Further Disputed
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Science Daily are reporting:
Oscar Pistorius' Artificial Limbs Give Him Clear, Major Advantage for Sprint Running, New Study Suggests -
Lesson learned.....just because people are called "experts" by others.....doesn't mean they are right. -
Sorry to open up an old thread, but I thought the discussion lacked a certain something. :rolleyes:
No mention has been made about amputees competing in other sports, such as Natalie Du Toit who swims at paralympic and olympic levels (sans prosthetic) - http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/olympics/article3872750.ece.
Seeing as other I'd like to suggest that perhaps it's not the hardware after all, but their determination? :cool: And, that Oscars' real advantage is this -;)
(watch that bilateral whip btwn 0.25 ~ 0.26 btw!).Last edited by a moderator: Sep 22, 2016 -
Sure, I give Oscar lots of credit....but his success is partially due to his light weight prosthesis.....and not only due to his determination.....and his product endorsements. -
Kevin
This paper suggests otherwise:
I would suggest that it's a combination of -
* determination - they need to out perform non-amputee athletes for obvious reasons
and
* technique - as the paper above suggests, but also because they have to cope with a higher centre of gravity, socket/skin interface issues, lack of proprioception, potentially abnormal alignment (see the bilateral whip above) and, in some cases, abnormal joints.
Sue -
Pistorius off the world companionships ?
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Good read on the subject here
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This is simple physics....the decreased moment of inertia of lighter artificial "legs" will require less rotational force (i.e. moment) proximally to accelerate the "legs" anteriorly during forward recovery phase. Said another way, for a given proximal rotational force there will be increased angular acceleration of the lighter "legs" due to their decreased moment of inertia.
No doubt....this double amputee has an unfair advantage when compared to runners with legs of normal mass and should not be allowed to compete with them. If he were, however, to add extra mass to his prostheses so that the moment of inertia of the limbs were equal to that of other similarly sized runners, then I would have no problems with him competing with other runners with no prostheses. -
But if he did that then he wouldn't be able to compete at that level and that would mean the CAS ruling was wrong.
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For anyone who still thinks that the mass of the leg isn't important to 400 m race times, I invite them to try adding a five pound weight to each leg and then run a 400 m race to see how it compares in time to their 400 m race time without leg masses added.
Pistorius doesn't belong competing with athletes with "normal legs" with his techologically advanced prostheses. -
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I'd rather have my legs and run slowly...
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If his prosthesis do indeed give him an advantage (and it were accurately quantifiable) then I'd love to know what his times would be if he had 'normal legs'. My guess is he'd be amongst the thousands of other athletes whose names we don't know because they just aren't quick enough to run at elite level. -
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totally agree its not comparing like with like should stick to special olmypics . but i have to admire the guy.
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