Pistorius to spearhead South Africa at London 2012 Paralympics as team is announced

By Tom Degun

June 21 - Oscar Pistorius will get the chance to defend his three Paralympic sprint titles at London 2012 after he was unsurprisingly named as one of the 62 athletes selected to the South African team for the Games at a special event held at the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) Olympic House in Johannesburg.

The 25-year-old double leg amputee will be hoping to repeat his phenomenal display at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics, where he won gold in the T44 100, 200 and 400 metres, but he faces a stiff challenge in the 100m where he faces American rival and reigning world champion Jerome Singleton.

Pistorius (pictured above) is also looking to compete in the 400m at the Olympic Games this summer but has only until the end of this month (June 30) to run the A standard qualification time of 45.25sec, which will secure him his Olympic berth.

Pistorius is joined in the South African Paralympic team by a number of other stars, including ten-time Paralympic swimming champion Natalie du Toit.

The 28-year-old competed at the Olympics at Beijing 2008 when she finished in 16th place in the 10 kilometre open water swim.

She is still looking to qualify for the London 2012 Olympics in the event but has said she will retire from the sport following the conclusion of the Paralympics.

Ernst van_Dyk_21-06-12

Another of the stars named in the team is Ernst van Dyk (pictured above), who will be looking to defend his Paralympic title in the hand cycling marathon.

The nine-time Boston Marathon winner is also likely to compete in the T44 wheelchair marathon race against the likes of Britain's Dave Weir and Australia's Kurt Fearnley after taking bronze in the event at Beijing 2008.

"In the past we have sometimes come in for criticism about the performance of our Olympic teams but when it comes to Paralympic teams, our men and women have done us proud time and time again," said SASCOC President Gideon Sam.

"Let me remind you that the first South Africans to represent their country at the Paralympics numbered just nine, way back at the 1964 Tokyo Paralympics and they set the benchmark by bringing back eight gold medals.

"Down the years our Para-athletes have continued to bring glory to the country.

"Sadly, we don't have a huge Paralympic sporting culture in this country.

Natalie du_Toit_21-06-12

"These are the stars who quietly go about doing their job of preparing for competitions at the very highest level.

"For something like three years and 11 months, you'll hear just about nothing and then suddenly a month before the Olympics the country starts waking up and says: 'Hey it's the Paralympics, who is going?'

"But having said that, we thankfully have, in the shape of Oscar Pistorius and Natalie du Toit (pictured above), two global superstars who manage to keep the Paralympic flame burning throughout the Paralympic cycles and our other Paralympians must make sure that they feed off this publicity and go on to carve their own niche in the sporting world."

The team is slightly smaller than the team of 66 that went to Beijing 2008 and won 30 medals, 21 of which were gold, to finish 6th on the medal table.

The South African squad (pictured below) at London 2012 will compete in the seven sports of athletics, cycling, equestrian, rowing, swimming, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis.

Team South_Africa_london_2012_paralympics_21-06-12