Olympics: "Blade Runner" makes it to semi-finals of 400m

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http://www.todayonline.com/Sports/EDC120804-0000053/Blade-runner-makes-it-to-400m-semifinals

Oscar Pistorius took off and the click-click-clicking of carbon on the track was all but drowned out by the 80,000 fans who were on hand to watch him make Olympic history.

He picked up speed in the back straightaway, cruised past an opponent or two, and by the end, the "Blade Runner'' was coasting in for a stress-free success.

Typical. Except this time, it was anything but that.

Finally racing where he always felt he belonged, the South African became the first amputee to compete on the track at an Olympics, finishing second in his 400-meter heat Saturday to easily advance to the next round.

Pistorius, a double-amputee who runs on carbon-fiber blades, circled the oval in 45.44 seconds - good enough for second place in his heat and a berth in the semifinals Sunday night.

The 25-year-old runner was born without fibulas and his legs were amputated below the knee before he was a year old. His is one of those stories that is every bit as much about the journey - dramatic, inspiring and controversial - as the final result.

"I just see him as another athlete, another competitor,'' world champion Kirani James said.