Amputee runner deserves shot to inspire us at Olympic games

Oscar Pistorius, the South African double amputee who runs the 400 meters on a pair of J-shaped, carbon fiber prosthetics, is changing the way the world looks at disabled athletes.

But should he have been given the chance to qualify for the Olympics?

At first, my head told me, no. Clearly, no. It was a knee-jerk reaction.

Then I thought again.

Pistorius' most vociferous detractors helped change my mind. Their argument - that a man with no legs enjoys a "competitive advantage" over able-bodied runners - started to sound a little absurd on the face of it.

Beyond that, Pistorius is one of the most inspiring figures to emerge in a long time. Check the headlines. Inspiring figures don't exactly jump out at you.

There does not appear to be an ounce of self-pity in this man, who was born without fibulas and had his legs amputated below the knee at 11 months old. With more grit and courage than most of us could muster, he has turned himself into the world's premier amputee sprinter.

Forget for a moment whether Pistorius has what it takes to reach the Olympics or threaten the world's best non-disabled runners. Or whether his blades place him in a different classification from runners who deal with overstressed muscles and tendons in their feet and lower legs.

I still have questions about that. But my qualms are trivial compared with what Pistorius represents. I changed my mind about him and his quest rather than be part of the howling mob that would tear down someone who should lift us all.

Sentiment can't always be trusted, but we shouldn't shy away from emotion when it helps us see that some of life's biggest victories come from unexpected people and places.

You can root for Pistorius, the ultimate underdog, and still not be convinced of the wisdom of allowing him to compete for an Olympic berth.

But that's a petty element to a story with broad implications for what it means to be human and to strive to overcome the odds.

Better than most of us, Josh Sundquist understands.

Sundquist, a native of Bridgewater and a 2006 graduate of William and Mary, competed in the '06 Paralympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy.

At the age of 9, Sundquist lost his left leg to cancer. Today, he tours the country giving inspirational speeches. You can be inspired simply by going to JoshSundquist.com and watching video of him completing a beautiful slalom run on a single ski.

Not surprisingly, Sundquist supports Pistorius' Olympian efforts.

"I don't think you can argue that his blades do provide an advantage," he said from his Northern Virginia home. "I think it's still a disadvantage."

Sundquist doesn't believe most disabled athletes should try to join mainstream athletics. He criticized a wheelchair-bound Maryland high school student who unsuccessfully sued the school system for the right to compete in a track meet against able-bodied runners.

"That's a totally different case than what Oscar is doing," he said. "Wheelchair athletes have a prohibitive advantage over able-bodied runners because they can just coast."

Many are looking beyond the humanity of Pistorius to fret over the impact of technology and to worry about prosthetic engineering creating greater and more unfathomable problems.

"If it goes bionic," Sundquist said, "then I'll understand the concern. But we're not at that point now."

At this point, Oscar Pistorius is unique.

After giving it more thought, I think I understand how, in some way, he's running for all of us.

Bob Molinaro, (757) 446-2373, bob.molinaro@pilotonline.com