Oscar Pistorius

Started by Private User on Friday, July 13, 2012
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Private User
7/13/2012 at 10:33 PM

Could someone please look at developing a profile for Oscar Pistorius? Is this South African list up to date?

Oscar Pistorius was born to Henke and Sheila Pistorius on 22 November 1986 in Sandton, Johannesburg

Private User
7/13/2012 at 10:39 PM

Pistorius, Heinrich Carl Wilhelm (Henke) (Oscar's father)
Spouse: Sheila Francis Bekker
Parents: Gertruda Jacoba De Beer and Hendrik Wilhelm Carl Pistorius

7/16/2012 at 9:29 AM

Oscar is competing at the London Olympics 2012 in the 400m mens and 400 m mens rely.
Among family members who are going to London to see him compete is his grand mother of nearly 89 y Gertruida Jacoba Pistorius (Gerti)

7/16/2012 at 11:19 AM

Oscar Pistorius was selected Wednesday to run in both the individual 400 metres and the 4x400 relay at the London Olympics, clearing the way for him to become the first amputee track athlete to compete at the Olympics.

Global News looks at the life of the South African star athlete, who's been blazing a trail on the track for nearly a decade now.

Oscar was born on November 22, 1986 in Johannesburg, but considers Pretoria as his hometown.

He was born with his legs, but without a fibula – the outer bone between the knee joint and ankle – in both legs. His parents, Henk and Sheila, met with some of the world's top doctors to discuss Oscar's condition. Physicians said the child would be able to cope better if he was amputated before he learned to walk.

The Pistorius family made the painful decision to follow through with that advice when Oscar was only 11 months old. South African orthopedic surgeon Gerry Versveld performed the life-changing procedure, amputating Oscar's legs below the knee.

Just six months later, Oscar was fitted with prosthetic legs. And days after that, he was up and moving around like most other children his age.

Athletics ran in the Pistorius family, and Oscar's condition proved to be no obstacle in carrying on this tradition. He made a goal to play in the Super Rugby event, (basically, the Stanley Cup, Grey Cup or Super Bowl of rugby involving teams from South Africa, Australia and New Zealand).

Oscar's ambition knew no bounds. He also wrestled, boxed, played tennis, cricket, and was a member of his high school's water polo team. He even managed to find time to participate in triathlons.

But in June 2003, Oscar shattered his right knee while playing rugby. Dr. Versveld advised the teen to start the healing process by running.

And it appears the 16-year-old's track career took off from there.

In January 2004, he entered his school's 100-metre race and won, coming in at 11.72 seconds. His father discovered Oscar beat the existing Paralympic record of 12.20 seconds.

In June 2004, a year after his knee injury, Oscar received his first pair of "Flex-Foot Cheetahs" – the brand of prosthetic feet made by the orthopedic company Össur.

There was no stopping Oscar now. He continued to win the hearts of fans and win races, capturing the gold in the T44 200-metre race at the 2004 Athens Paralympics, racing in at 21.97 seconds. It was a new world record.

In July 2007, Oscar, now known as the "blade runner" and "the fastest man on no legs," went head to head with able-bodied athletes at the International Association of Athletics Federations' (IAAF) Golden Gala event in Rome.

But controversy arose a few months later. In November 2007, after undergoing scientific tests at the Cologne Sports University (CSU), doctors said Oscar's prosthetic limbs gave him an unfair advantage over his able-bodied competitors, that he was able to run faster with less energy.

Oscar disputed the claims, saying the exams were "biased and scientifically flawed." Despite his protests, the IAAF voted to ban him from any competitions involving able-bodied athletes.

Unhappy with the ruling, he hired lawyers and underwent a second series of tests at Rice University in Houston.

In May 2008, a Court of Arbitration panel unanimously sided with Oscar, saying both CSU and IAAF didn't consider specific factors, such as the disadvantages he has at the beginning of each race, and that the tests only looked at what happens when Oscar runs in a straight line. The panel ruled there was no evidence the prosthetics gave Oscar an advantage.

The IAAF was forced to reverse its decision.

Private User
7/16/2012 at 12:42 PM

We need to have a public profile for him - you want to do it Heidi?

Private User
7/16/2012 at 10:51 PM

Heidi Ernani Drew I have built a public tree for Oscar connected to the main tree and locked the profiles until they link to public profiles - this is the PUBLIC profile for Oscar - Oscar Pistorius. Once the profile is completely written up it can be locked to prevent merges,

Private User
7/16/2012 at 10:52 PM
Private
7/17/2012 at 12:44 AM

Thank you all for your reply. He is really "ons Goue seun". (Golden boy.)

Private User
7/17/2012 at 12:55 AM

Amazing person - my fifth great uncle's fifth great nephew. Very remote!!!
According to Wiki he has distant Italian ancestry – his mother's grandfather was an Italian emigrant to Kenya - anyone want to try and find the ancestry of his mother Sheila Francis Bekker - Sheila Francis Pistorius

7/20/2012 at 9:33 AM

Well done you guys for adding him in. I once saw him run at Jeppe Boys, and he was just another teenager - anxting over the run up start etc. / ens. I'll add him to the Famous SA page http://www.geni.com/projects/Famous-South-Africans/3516 if none of you have done that yet.

7/26/2012 at 11:19 AM

The Pistorius's come from the town of Pistoia in Tuscanny- Italy - Oscar's 13th great grandfather -was Johannes Pistorius
Johannes Pistorius is my 12th great grandfather.
I - Heidi Ernani (Drew) Pistorius - daughter of
→ Hendrik Pistorius
my father - Oscar's grand father → show 11 relatives → Johann (the Elder) Pistorius
his father → Johannes Pistorius
his father share this path
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Johannes Pistorius
Birth: 1471
Pistoia, Tuscany, Italy
Death: Woerden, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Immediate Family:
Father of Johannes Jan (Becker) Pistorius and Johann (the Elder) Pistorius
Added by: Scrooby Pistorius on August 8, 2009
Managed by: Scrooby (Frans Johannes) Pistorius
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Johannes was a sexton in Woerden and also tenant of the brickworks, and his surname may have been derived from that profession.
Johannes Pistorius and his family fled from Pistoia Italy during the Roman Catholic era of the Lombards invasion of Pistoia to rid of any religious groups other than Roman Catholic

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7/26/2012 at 11:24 AM

June - I know little about this site - but yes - if you like I shall write Oscar's public profile - Oscar is my brother Henk's son - I have had the privilege to have contact with this amazing young man as he grew up-
Just give me the go-ahead and some pointers re rules and regulations -

Private User
7/26/2012 at 11:53 AM

Heidi Ernani Drew I have added you as a manager on his profile so please write up his biography - you are the perfect person to do it! Fantastic!!

Private User
8/2/2012 at 6:09 AM

Heidi Ernani Drew How are you getting on with this? I think we need to get a move on just in case Amanda wants to use his profile as a profile of the day - do you know when he is die to run?

8/3/2012 at 9:23 AM

Oscar runs tomorrow - London time 10h30

8/4/2012 at 10:55 AM

Oscar made history today and we witnessed it!

8/5/2012 at 6:32 AM

:-)

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