South African sprinter and double amputee Oscar Pistorius was named to his country’s Olympic team on Thursday, becoming the first amputee ever to compete in the Games.

Pistorius, 25, who runs through the use of carbon-fiber blades attached to his knees, will compete in both the 400-meter individual race and 4×400-meter relay at the London games later this month.

After finishing just short of the Olympic ‘A’ standard time in the African Championships last week, Pistorius seemed to be an unlikely candidate for selection. However, the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee named him to the traveling squad.

Having had both of his legs amputated below the knee when he was less than a year old, Pistorius has competed in sprint races since 2004. He was banned from participating in able-bodied athlete competitions by the International Association of Athletics Federations in 2008, but he fought to get the ruling overturned.

[Via Yahoo!]

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