Elitetrack: Sport Training & Conditioning

yeah this guy has no lactic acid production from his lower limbs. granted there is something like nine times as much power produced by the hip muscle during sprinting but… if you think about it LA transport to the liver would be much more efficient if your heart didn't have to pump blood from your lower extremeties up to the chest.

interesting article on this subject

http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/07/11/the-debriefing-olympic-sprinters-should-cut-off-their-legs/

gdelia928 - 21 July 2007 05:23 AM

interesting article on this subject

http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/07/11/the-debriefing-olympic-sprinters-should-cut-off-their-legs/

That is an interesting article but I don't think the author understands what the IAAF considers an advantage. To the IAAF, it doesn't matter that he isn't running faster than all the able-bodied sprinters. What matters to them is whether he's running faster than he otherwise would be capable of doing. The answer to this question is sticky and it may be difficult to prove or disprove either way but I think what it comes down to is whether the technological advancement will outpace training advancements allowing people such as Oscar to eventually run faster than able-bodied people.

IAAF & The Blade Runner Agree On Biomechanical Analysis

Monte Carlo - A biomechanical analysis of the Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius will be carried out to obtain whether his prothesis gives him an advantage over able-bodied runners, the ruling athletics body IAAF announced on Thursday

The IAAF said in a statement that the scientific analysis will be carried out by Peter Bruggemann from the institute of biomechanics at the German Sport University of Cologne in Germany.

According to the IAAF, the test will take place over three weeks, starting not before October 2007.

The double amputee Pistorius, who runs on carbon-fibre curved blades that simulate shins and feet, was allowed to run against able- bodied runners at the IAAF meets in Rome and Sheffield two weeks ago.

Video evidence from the Rome race to be used in the biomechanical analysis.

Pistorius, who aims to compete at the Beijing Olympics next year, claimed after the races that the IAAF was not helping him in the best possible way, but now welcomed the new initiative.

'I am pleased to be working with the IAAF on conducting the appropriate research so that we can jointly come to a fair and educated conclusion.

'There is much at stake personally and for the future of all amputee athletes and I applaud the IAAF for recognizing that. By aligning experts from prosthetics and biomechanics I believe we will be able to put this issue to rest one way or the other,' he said.

IAAF president Lamine Diack said: 'Now that Oscar has improved his times to the extent that he is able to compete in open athletics competitions, the IAAF has a duty to make sure that his prosthetics are analysed carefully. We cannot permit technical aids that give one athlete an unfair advantage over another.'

The research is to determine whether Psiorius' blades violate the IAAF rule on the use of technical aids in competition.

The rule prohibits devices that incorporate 'springs, wheels or any other element that provides the user with an advantage' as well as the use of an 'appliance that has the effect of increasing the dimension of a piece of equipment beyond the permitted maximum in the rules.'

He’s baaaaaack.

I recently purchased Bosch and Klomp’s book “Running” through Amazon.com and I followed that up with their DVD “Running”, which I bought from Gambetta’s site.  The DVD is one of the most thought provoking presentations I’ve seen, especially where they explain how kinetic energy is stored in the elasticity of the lower leg to greatly increase running efficiency. 

In light of that, while I applaud the Blade Runner for his pluck and I think his prosthetics are seriously cool, there is NO WAY they are not an advantage in maintaining top speed, once that speed is reached.  All of Pistorius’ arguments seem to apply to 100m running, where the drive phase is a much larger proportion of the overall event.

So, should we allow him to try for the 100m?  I think not…for one thing, it’s notable that he’s not trying to compete in that event (or the 200m). Beyond that, apples and oranges is what we’re dealing with here.  Example:  XC skiing is kind of like running, but not.  You could look at the equipment and the surface as a kind of prosthetic.  Therefore, it’s a separate thing that we don’t categorize as running, despite the similarities.  The Blade Runner is doing something, but it’s not running in the same way that others run, despite the surface level similarities.

The IAAF has ruled that he can run at the OGs:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080516/ap_on_sp_ol/oly_run_cas_pistorius

Pandora’s box is now officially open.

Mike Young - 17 May 2008 07:22 PM

The IAAF has ruled that he can run at the OGs:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080516/ap_on_sp_ol/oly_run_cas_pistorius

Pandora’s box is now officially open.

If he makes it, he will get annihilated which will be extremely entertaining.  big ratings

Bad decision.  The dude doesnt have lower legs.  Its just common sense that he has an advantage, theres no way around it.  Not only does his calves which he doesnt have not get sore/tired, his heart doesnt need to pump blood to the lower legs. 

But it doesnt really matter for this year b/c he wont make it.

I think I’m going to get some prosthetic legs over my legs and go to the Olympics.

Pistorious is so awesome that he wouldn’t even make the US trials.  Put him in the 8.

mortac8 - 18 May 2008 03:14 AM

Pistorious is so awesome that he wouldn’t even make the US trials.  Put him in the 8.

The funny thing is he would probably run a 1:30

“no one else is even as close to as fast as Pistorius on the Cheetahs, suggesting that his speed is due not to his technology, but to his speed.“
Is this a valid point? Other people use cheetahs, but they don’t blow away paralympian world records. Also, a single amputee competed on American Gladiators the other day, and I would say his prostetic did not give him an advantage in the uphill treadmill in the eliminator, but that guy competed with so much heart there was not a dry eyer in the house.