Olympic 'Blade Runner' inspires U.S. servicemembers
10:28 PM, Aug 2, 2012
BETHESDA, Md. (USA TODAY) — Among the myriad chest-tightening, tear-jerking stories being told of athletes overcoming hardship at the 2012 Olympics, it's hard to compete with the one about a sprinter standing proudly atop carbon-fiber legs.
Oscar Pistorius— called the "Blade Runner," for his two prostheses — will be the first amputee to ever compete in Olympic track. The 25-year-old South African will not be the fastest runner in the 400 meters in London on Saturday, but to a historic number of disabled veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and to millions of disabled people around the world, Pistorius embodies something much bigger than an athletic competition.
