Word: pistorius
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DESIGNER Perspective can be everything. In January, when the International Association of Athletics Federations ruled that Oscar Pistorius' artificial legs gave the sprinter an unfair edge in Olympic competition, prosthetics designer Kevin Carroll wasn't surprised. The industry, he says, "knew this was coming. And isn't it wonderful that it's here...
...Drawing the Line Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee runner, should be allowed to compete in the Beijing Olympics with his Cheetahs prosthetics [Jan. 28]. But he should be allowed to do so with one proviso: if he crosses the finish line first, he should be presented with a special award or commendation. But the gold medal should still go to the fastest runner on two feet. Ivan C. Jones, Greeneville, Tennessee...
Imagine if Pistorius' blades made him exactly as biomechanically efficient as a normal runner. What should be the baseline: Normal for the average man? Or for the average Olympian? Cyclist Lance Armstrong was born with a heart and lungs that can make a mountain feel flat; he also trained harder than anyone on the planet. Where's the unfair advantage? George Eyser's wooden leg didn't stop him from winning six Olympic gymnastics medals, including in the parallel bars. But that was 1904; legs have improved since then...
...there is no honor in shortcuts. Today's dopers are like Rosie Ruiz's winning the marathon in 1980?because she took the subway. Are Pistorius' blades the equivalent of his attaching wheels to his running shoes? "We end up with these subtle, fascinating debates about what the meaning of competition is, and endless debate over where to draw the line," says Tom Murray, president of the Hastings Center, a bioethics think tank. "Don't underestimate how difficult it will be to evaluate all the technologies that are likely to filter into sport...
...work at it, like the bright kid who coasts through class: talent taps persistence on the shoulder, says, You're not needed here. But put the two together, Tiger Woods' easy power and ferocious discipline?and he makes history. There's some sweet irony in the fact that before Pistorius came along, there was no need for the rules that now ban him. Only when the disabled runner challenged the able-bodied ones did officials institute a rule against springs and wheels and any artificial aids to running. That's a testimony to technology, but it is also a tribute...