By Mark Meadows
HE has no feet but runs like the wind.
He is a star among disabled athletes, and an inspiration to all who see him, but Oscar Pistorius has a dream: to run in the Olympics.
And yesterday the South African dubbed "Bladerunner" came closer to achieving that dream.
The double amputee can attempt to qualify for the Beijing Olympics after winning his appeal against a ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
In January, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) ruled Pistorius, 21, could not compete with able-bodied athletes because the carbon-fibre blades attached to both legs gave him an advantage.
He appealed to the CAS, which ruled in his favour.
"As you can imagine I have been struggling to hide my smile for the past half an hour," he said after the ruling.
"Now I can definitely say the truth has come out. I have the opportunity once again to chase my dream of the Olympics - if not 2008, in 2012."
Pistorius was born with no fibula - the outer bone between the knee and ankle - in either of his legs. He had his legs amputated halfway between the knee and ankle when he was 11 months old, and has never known what it is to walk, let alone run, on feet.
But he has gained a reputation as a world class sprinter thanks to the addition of his super legs, which propel him a rate which rivals the world's leading able bodied runners, particularly over the longer sprint distances.
He has set world records in the 100metres, 200metres and 400metres in Paralympic events, and always vigorously disputed claims he has an advantage.
"If anyone says you can cut your leg off to be faster, I tell you right now you are going to be slower," he said.
In explaining its ruling, the CAS said the IAAF had not proved competition rules had been contravened.
"On the basis of the evidence brought by the experts called by both parties, the panel was not persuaded that there was sufficient evidence of any metabolic advantage in favour of the double amputee using the Cheetah Flex-Foot," it said.
The IAAF has said athletes have until July 23 to qualify for the August 8-24 Games. He may be able run in a relay without the qualifying time.
Pistorius won gold in the 200 metres and bronze in the 100 metres at the 2004 Athens Paralympics and has competed mostly in able-bodied events in his homeland.
He competed in two able-bodied 400-metre races in Rome and Sheffield last year.
The IAAF welcomed the decision and said more research needed to be conducted into the effects of prosthesis.
"The IAAF accepts the decision of CAS, and Oscar will be welcomed wherever he competes this summer," it said. "He is an inspirational man and we look forward to admiring his achievements in the future."
As his family and friends celebrated, Pistorius sounded a warning: the ruling, while exciting, did not necessarily mean he would appear in Beijing.
"I've missed the whole South African season. The goal is still there [to make Beijing] but I have got the Paralympics coming up.
"The time period is very short. It's going to be very difficult for me to qualify."
If Pistorius fails to qualify for Beijing, he has set his sights on the London Olympics of 2012, when he will be 25.