Things are no different here at in Christchurch, New Zealand, at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Athletics Championships where you can seemingly not walk for more than a few steps without hearing or seeing that Oscar is in town and ready to defend his three world titles in the T44 100, 200 and 400 metres.

It is unlikely to be much different at the London 2012 Paralympics, which has already been labelled by many as the "Oscar Show".

However, for the superstar himself, things are a little more down to earth.

I caught up with him - not literally I assure you - at the impressive 20,000-capacity QE II stadium, the venue for the World Championships, after one of his heavier training sessions.

Somewhat to my surprise, he recognised me from our brief meeting in Manchester last year at the 2010 BT Paralympic World Cup and greeted me with a "manly" hug.

A quick ice bath later (for him), we grabbed a seat together in the empty stand and I asked what Pistorius himself made of all the hoopla that is said and written about him.

"The Oscar Show?" he enquired in the usual shy and polite manner I remember so well from our last encounter.

"That just sounds ridiculous to me.

"People can say that if they like but to be perfectly honest, I don't really notice this whole poster boy thing.

"I don't ever look at myself like that and it would be wrong of me to do so.

"There are so many thousands of amazing Paralympic athletes out there that do their bit to promote the Paralympic Moment, not just me.

"I'm just another one of those athletes.

"I don't feel like a superstar or anything.

"It still always bowls me over when somebody asks for a photograph with me, it still hits me just like the first time someone asked me.

"To say that something as big as a Paralympic Games or a World Championships can be about one person doesn't make sense as there are far too many great athletes out there for that to ever happen.

"Every Paralympic athlete trains their hardest and I'm not special in that respect - I'm just like them."


Well, perhaps the overly-modest Pistorius is not entirely correct in saying he is "just like them" because one look at his CV shows he is no ordinary Paralympian.

The reigning triple Paralympic and World Champion holds all three world records in the T44 100, 200 and 400m and is on the verge of competing at the London 2012 Olympics as he is currently just a quarter of a second off the qualifying time for the event.

It seems just a formality that he will retain his three world titles here in New Zealand on his relentless march to London 2012.

But I do wonder - what it is like constantly being expected to win?

Knowing that an unimaginable defeat would make international headlines?

"Michael Johnson (the great United States sprinter and 400m world record holder) said pressure is a reflection of one's own ability.

"That is how I look at it - it is a good thing because it is something you earn.

"I am not untouchable here though, not by a long shot.

"The 100m is the event I think will be the most difficult in Christchurch because of Jerome Singleton."

Singleton (pictured), of the United States, looked set to defeat Pistorius in the 100m final at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games before the South African staged a remarkable comeback to beat his rival in a photo finish and become the first non-American winner of the 100m T44 title since 1992.

Singleton has apparently not forgotten the defeat and had some strong words for Pistorius upon his arrival to New Zealand.

"We're ready to go fast here in Christchurch," he said.

"The US held the Paralympic sprint title as far back as I know to 1992 and Oscar took it off us in 2008 together with the world titles.

"The US team has now got some new athletes and we're ready to go.

"We're here in Christchurch for the world title, but if we don't get it this year we certainly will next in London.

"I can't control what happens with Oscar.

"Racing against him you don't hear anything so when you think you might have him, you might not.

"You've got to get out as fast as you can and hold on.

"I love our rivalry. Ali had Frazier, Magic Johnson had Larry Bird and Usain Bolt has Tyson Gay.

"So I'm coming here to show Oscar what he has to contend with!"

Cleary Pistorius is already well aware of his rival.

"Jerome is the major threat for me and he can do a lot of damage when he gets it right," said Pistorius as we ironically watched the 24-year-old American in training on the sunny track right in front of us.

"Jerome is the future of the 100m event, but I hope I'm the present.

"At the BT Paralympic World Cup last year, we crossed the line in the same splits as we did in Beijing. The time was slower but the splits were the same so it's going to be quite scary running against him in Christchurch. He's not a big talker, which I like - his talent talks on the track."

The rivalry will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of the action in Christchurch and one of the reasons why Pistorius revealed he favours Paralympic sport over Olympic.

In addition, his road to be accepted to qualify for the Olympics was no easy one.

In 2007, Pistorius took part in his first international competitions for able-bodied athletes but his prosthetic legs generated claims that he has an unfair advantage over able-bodied runners.

The same year, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) amended its competition rules to ban the use of "any technical device that incorporates springs, wheels or any other element that provides a user with an advantage over another athlete not using such a device" which ruled out the South African from competing against able-bodied athletes.

A legal battle followed in which the decision was reversed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in May 2008, the court ruling that the IAAF had not provided sufficient evidence to prove that Pistorius's prostheses give him an advantage over able-bodied athletes.

So Pistorius appears likely to achieve his goal of Olympic competition but claimed his reasons for wanting to do so are far different than those often reported in the media.

"The Olympics is something that I really want to compete in but only because I want to do my best," he said.

"People say that if I get there, I won't be able to make that final but that doesn't matter to me.

"I just want to go there and give it my best.

"I also just want to go and be seen as an athlete, not just that disabled kid competing against the normal guys.

"When I retire, I don't want to be called an Olympian. If I make it there, or a great Paralympian, I just want to be remembered as an athlete. That's the most important thing.

"If anything, Paralympic competition is far more important to me and I've learned more from Paralympic competition than I have in able-bodied.

"This is more stressful for me than any major able-bodied events I compete in and there is always far more pressure on me because I am expected to win here and not in able-bodied races.

"It's great to compete in both but Paralympic sport is the pinnacle for me."

With that, Pistorius departs for a session in the gym with his unwavering dedication to his sport made abundantly clear.

Just a normal guy with a superstar attitude.

Tom Degun is a reporter for insideworldparasport and is currently in Christchurch covering the IPC Athletics World Championships