My first impressions of the individual universally dubbed as the "Blade Runner" - due to the appearance of his prosthetic limbs were that he was very polite and, somewhat surprisingly, rather shy. He smiled rather awkwardly when I called to him the poster boy of Paralympic sport and continually referred to me as "sir" until I explained that the name Tom would suffice.

I was immediately so comfortable in the company of the triple Paralympic champion that only a glance into his fiercely determined eyes reminded me that I was in the presence of a truly special athlete.

As I recalled what I knew about Pistorius in that moment, I realised that his resolute stare was perhaps to be expected considering that the South African has seemingly forged his life by defying the odds on a consistent basis.

At the age of 11 months, Pistorius’ parents made the difficult decision to have both of their sons’ legs amputated halfway between the knee and ankle because of a congenital absence of the fibula bone in both of his shins.

Pistorius though, was completely unperturbed at growing up with prosthetic limbs and played a variety of able-bodied sports during his childhood; particularly rugby. It was during his spell on the wing as a rugby player that it was noticed by coaches how abnormally fast the double-amputee was.

Athletics was suggested as sport that may suit Pistorius and at 17-years-old, the South African burst onto the world scene by winning bronze in the T44 100m at the Athens 2004 Paralympics. The rest, as they say, is history.

"The whole fame thing happened really suddenly for me," Pistorius vividly recalls bemused expression. "I turned up at in Athens in 2004 and nobody knew anything about me and by the end of the Paralympics, it seemed like everybody knew who I was! It was crazy and not long after that, the nicknames started. There are so many nicknames now and the 'Blade Runner'actually started here in the UK.

"As long as they don’t have any negative connotations, I don’t mind them but I’m not sure I can remember all of them. There is the 'Blade Runner', the 'fastest man with no legs', the 'titan of the track' but I’m quite lucky that they are generally positive. My favorite nickname is 'titan of the track' as that is a pretty cool thing to be called."

Following the Athens 2004 Paralympics, the attention on Pistorius began to increase as the young South African began to compete alongside able-bodied athletes in an unprecedented move. In 2005, Pistorius finished first in the able-bodied South African Championships in the 400m with a world record time of 47.34 seconds. He continued his impressive form at both able-bodied and disabled sporting events and whispers of him competing at the Beijing 2008 Olympics began to grow. Then suddenly, the South African hit a huge stumbling block. 



In January 2008, following testing on his artificial limbs from German professor Gert-Peter Brüggemann, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) ruled Pistorius' prostheses ineligible for use in able-bodied competition conducted under IAAF rules, including the Olympic Games, as they were allegedly found to use 25 per cent less energy than able-bodied runners to run at the same speed. Pistorius subsequently appealed against the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the IAAF ban was overturned on May 2008 clearing the way for Pistorius to try and qualify for the Olympics.

But following the stress of the high profile court-case, Pistorius missed out on qualifying for the 400m at the Beijing 2008 Olympics by just a quarter of a second although he did go on to claim three gold medals at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics. The South African though, admits that the qualifying for London 2012 Olympics is a huge goal for him and he believes that he now has the pace to do just that.

"I'm in better form now than I was in 2008 when I ran a personal best of 46.23 and I hope to run another personal best this year and a time under 46 seconds" he said. "That would put me in good stead ahead of the Commonwealth Games at the end of the year and some of the big competitions next year. The qualification time for London 2012 is about 45.55 and I want to be running that by next year so that I’m more than ready for the Olympics by 2012."

Despite his desire to compete in the Olympics, it is by no means an obsession for the 23-year-old who explained that he will be more than happy with a career in which he never competes at an Olympic Games.

"It is my duty to do the best that I can do but for me, there is no difference between able-bodied and disabled sport. If I only ever get to compete at the Paralympics and never at the Olympics, I will be satisfied as long as I have given it my all. But I’m confident in my ability and in my chances of competing in both the Olympics and Paralympics after the improvements I have made on the track. With that in mind, not making it to the Olympics is not an option."

With such a mature and thoughtful approach, it is easy to forget that Pistorius is just 23. But the fact remains that the South African is only a young man and like all young man, Pistorius makes mistakes.

Perhaps Pistorius' most publicised mistake was a disastrous boating accident he was part of in February 2009. The South African was boating with a friend on the Vaal River near Johannesburg when the vessel went straight into a pier. Pistorius was seriously injured and rushed to hospital but shortly after the near fatal accident, rumours about excessive alcohol levels in Pistorius blood began to circulate and he was unfairly accused of causing the accident due to negligence.

"That was really tough," Pistorius said. "I woke up out of a coma after a week and a bit with 170 odd stitches, broken ribs and other stuff and the newspapers were saying that I was negligent and drinking heavily. You get so many versions of the story that are so exaggerating and it is frustrating and unfair."

When I ask if he feels like he is condemned for acting like any normal 23-year-old; the sprinter frowns for the first time in our conversation.

"It is hard sometimes because you get reported on for things that would not be newsworthy at all if the average Joe did them. The boat thing is an example because my blood-alcohol levels were sent out to the media in a press release which is pretty full on. But I guess you have a responsibility as a sportsman to act in a certain way.

"I’m very lucky to be in the position that I am in and I have to promote myself and the sport in the right way and give it the right image. The boat incident is not the first or last thing I will do wrong but I try hard to do the best that I can do.

"The media only tend to report sensational things so it’s either really good or really bad stuff that gets in the news.

"You just have to take the good stuff with a pinch of salt and not get big-headed about it and when the bad stuff happens, you just have to remember what type of person you are.

"I must give Paralympic sport the right image and present it well as I am the first port of call for a lot of people that don’t know much about the sport. A lot of children turn up to watch me at major events like the BT Paralympic World Cup and it is a privilege to be a role model for them. I know I just have to stay true to myself on the track and stay away from water and boats!”

As our conversation draws to a close, I ask the likeable superstar what he wants his legacy to be when he hangs up his spikes.

He looks at me rather intriguingly before responding: "No one has ever asked me that question and it’s a very good one. I’m still young so I hope to compete for another six years until Rio 2016. Then I can retire at 29 and when I am still at my peak. But when I do finally retire, I want to be known as an athlete who gave everything in the years that he ran. I’d like to do my best to promote Paralympic sport because I myself knew very little about it before I got involved in it even though I was disabled.

"I don’t think I’m doing any greater job in promoting the sport than any other Paralympic athlete but I hope that I do contribute in my own way. And the reason that it should be promoted is that it is hardcore sport. It’s not a second grade version of any able-bodied sport. It’s got triumph; it’s got disaster and it’s got everything else you need for great sport. So by the end of my career, I just want to help to promote that."

With that, I say goodbye to the blade-runner with the knowledge that in the Oscar Pistorius; the Paralympic Movement has no greater an ambassador.

Tom Degun is the Paralympics correspondent for insideworldparasport.