Pistorius notches double victory

STADSKANAAL, Netherlands (Reuters) - Double amputee Oscar Pistorius, who runs with carbon-fiber blades attached to his legs, won the 400 meters at a paralympic meeting here in 48.19 seconds on Sunday, shy of the 47.92 he ran a week ago.

Pistorius, who also took the 200m in 22.15 seconds, said: "I am slowly getting back to fitness."

The South African, winner of 200m gold and 100m bronze at the 2004 Athens Paralympics, needs to clock 45.55 to qualify for the 400m in Beijing. His personal best stands at 46.33.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled last month that Pistorius could compete in able-bodied events as the carbon-fibre blades do not give him an advantage.

His legs were amputated beneath the knees when he was 11 months old.

Pistorius has said he will run in able-bodied races in Milan on July 2 and at the Rome Golden Gala on July 11 where he competed last year.

The qualifying deadline for the August Games is late July and Pistorius has said London 2012 is a more likely target.

(Reporting by Harro ten Wolde, editing by Dave Thompson)