Humble Pistorius an inspiration for disabled people

By Ken Borland

PRETORIA, South Africa (Reuters) - Oscar Pistorius's family and friends on Friday described the pioneering South African paralympic athlete as a special human being without airs and graces or any complex over his disability.

Pistorius, who had both legs amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old due to a congenital disorder, was cleared on Friday by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to use his prosthetic carbon-fiber limbs to compete in able-bodied events.

He can now attempt to qualify for this year's Beijing Olympics although his coach believes a more realistic target for the 21-year-old may be the 2009 world championships.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) had banned Pretorius in January, ruling that the prosthetics gave him an advantage over able-bodied athletes.

Andy Scott, a pioneering South African paralympian now involved in corporate sponsorship of major sports, said:

"Oscar's massive accomplishments are an inspiration for all disabled people. But he is also one of the more grounded, humble 21-year-old superstars I've met.

"He has handled all the attention after his paralympic world records and all the pressures of this year really well.".

Oscar's father, Henke Pistorius, was celebrating his son's successful appeal in a Pretoria restaurant on Friday and said the loss of his lower legs was never a disability in their eyes.