A sprinter's triumph comes off the track

South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius has done everyone a favor.

Pistorius, a double amputee who runs with the aid of carbon-fiber prosthetic blades, just missed making his nation's Olympic team in the 4 x 400-meter relay. But efforts to be allowed to compete has helped reassess our notion of who's able-bodied, and whether missing limbs truly equates to missing ability.

The 21-year-old runner had to fight an international athletic organization's ruling that his blades gave him an unfair advantage. Later, the Court of Arbitration overturned that decision, allowing Pistorius a chance to make the South African team for next month's Summer Games in China. He was born missing the fibula in each leg, and at 11 months old his legs were amputated below the knee.

Last week, he ran a personal best of 46.25 seconds, just missing the qualifying mark of 45.55 for the team. "We didn't expect him to be granted any special opportunity or anything," his manager, Peet Van Zyl, told The Associated Press. "The rules are the rules."

Nor should they have been suspended in his case. The runner, more than anything else, wanted a fair shot at making the team based on his own ability. He's now expected to clean up in the Paralympic Games, which takes place in Beijing in September.

The broader issue, though, is whether disabled individuals deserve a chance to line up on the same courts, tracks and swimming pools as able-bodied athletes. The debate will continue about the technological advantages in prosthetics that allow someone like Pistorius to have a decent shot at making the team. There should be no debate about his heart - or speed.