South African amputee named to Olympic relay team

JOHANNESBURG – Double amputee Oscar Pistorius is going to the London Olympics after being selected for South Africa’s 4x400 relay team.

Pistorius is set to become the first amputee track athlete ever to compete at the Olympics. South Africa’s Olympic committee picked him Wednesday.

The selection eased Pistorius’ disappointment at his failure to qualify in the individual 400 meters. The 25-year-old South African, who runs on carbon fiber prosthetics, missed out by less than a quarter of a second in his final qualifying race at the African championships last week.

Pistorius made history last year by qualifying for the world championships and winning silver in the 4x400. He won several medals at the Beijing and Athens Paralympics.