We've picked up a lot of stuff from LifeTeen.com recently, and why not? It's a brilliant site. A few days ago they posted another great piece, this time about Oscar Pistorius, the Olympic amputee sprinter known affectionately as the Blade Runner. Here's a slice...

Olympic athletes are known for their discipline, training, and hard work. Their finely toned bodies are considered the height of physical perfection. But this year's Olympics features an athlete whose physical form looks a bit different: Oscar Pistorius, a South African runner, is a double leg amputee.

Oscar Pistorius is known as the "fastest man on no legs," and the "Blade Runner," for the blade-like prosthetics he uses while running.

Pistorius was born without his fibula, the bone between the knee and the ankle. He had a double amputation below the knee, which made it easier for him to learn to walk on prosthetics.

Growing up, his parents never treated him differently than his siblings. In fact, in the mornings his mother would say, "Carl put on your shoes. Oscar you put on your prosthetic legs, and that's the last I want to hear about it." It's not a surprise then that wearing prosthetics didn't stop Pistorius from participating in school sports, like tennis, water polo, and rugby.

In 2003 he began running to recover from a knee injury, and in 2004 went to the Athens Paralympics and won gold for the 200 meter, breaking the world record for his class.

Go, read the rest...