"IT'S ON!! We in the FINAL," Pistorius (pictured top, centre) – who earlier this week became the first double amputee athlete to compete at the Olympic Games – trumpeted on Twitter.

"Team management Protested as Ofentse was taken out and we have been given Lane 9!! Thank you Lord! Emotional roller coaster!"

Pistorius, who earned a silver medal at last year's IAAF World Championships as part of the South African 4x400m relay team, was due to run the third leg in this morning's heats, but the baton never reached him due to the collision on the top bend involving Kenya's Vincent Mumo Kiilu.

Both athletes fell to the track and although Kiilu was able to resume running, Mogawane suffered a suspected dislocated shoulder and could not carry on.

An injured Ofentse Mogawane is helped off the track following his 4x400m collision

Following a South African appeal the Kenyans were disqualified by officials for blocking and Pistorius' team was added to the final in lane nine.

LJ van Zyl will replace Mogawane in the quartet.

Pistorius, who is due to compete at the London Paralympics in the T44 100m and the T42-46 100m sprint relay, produced a season's best time of 45.44sec earlier this week to reach the 400m semi-finals, in which he finished eighth.

At last year's World Championships in Daegu he became the first amputee to win an able-bodied track medal after running the opening leg of the 4x400m relay heat and contributing to a South African record of 2min 59.21sec.

He was not, however, selected for the final.

LJ van Zyl will replace Ofentse Mogawane in the South Africa 4x400m relay team

Speaking of the incident, before the appeal was made, Pistorius said: "I was standing there and I took my eyes off the screen and kept them on the straight, and obviously just as I took them off it must have happened.

"He [Mogawane] is not the biggest of guys and initially I thought he was maybe pushed in behind someone, and then I just carried on looking and he didn't come out.

"It's really tough at the moment.

"I feel sorry for my teammates, they're a phenomenal group of guys.

"It's just really disappointing for us because we came off a second place at the World Champs last year and a national record, and we've got more or less the same team."

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