Amputee Allowed to Compete

[Bill C.]

It is now ruled that the double amputee athlete sprinter is allowed to compete in the Olympics.  I'm not sure this is the right thing for them to do.  Ironically, it could give him a huge and unfair advantage.

[DangerMike]

he doesnt have any advantage
ive met him in person (he is south african like me)
and the springs dont give him any more left than a proper athletes calfs would

i think its great that he finally has a chance to show what he can really do

[Kiola]

its the muscles in your lower legs for normal people take a little more energy to use.. him not having any would have an advantage as that energy is put into the rest of his body unlike a full bodies runner.. so ive been told.

[coachgeo]

have also been told his legs are probably longer with these than if he had typical length legs to match his structure.

I'm not sure which way I lean on this one.

[Locky]

I kinda disagree with this decision. There are plenty of people in the para-olympics with far less of a disability than him and as unfortunate as it is, he's lost his lower legs. To me, he's the reason the para-olympics exist.

[Bill C.]

he doesnt have any advantage
ive met him in person (he is south african like me)
and the springs dont give him any more left than a proper athletes calfs would

i think its great that he finally has a chance to show what he can really do

Well, at least we have someone here who has met the guy.  Any chance you can get him to post here so we can ask him questions? 

My concern is this...   Okay, so let's assume he has no advantage at this point - though I'm not sure how that equality was measured.  What prevents him from going to a more powerful spring down the line?  I'd be interested in knowing if and how officials have set any standard for that - or if the officials have even thought of that potential problem.  Next year, an athlete like him may show up with the newer Model XJ-3000 version of the prosthetics with better springs - just as all competitive equipment is improved over time, such as the bobsleds, skis, etc.  Don't get me wrong...  It's great that he gets to compete in the games, but I think this going to open up a huge can of worms for the Olympics.

[stevie]

I think its great that this guy can compete, i gues he will have certain points deducted etc, to ballance things out,and im sure that others will follow and in a shot time ther will be games and competitions that people like him can take part in, and even compete with us all, i bet he could give us all a good competition.

in my oppinion this is just what our sport needed, this will realy put us on the map,

i would love to meet this guy, he has my full suport.

[Kender]

As a transhumanist (google it), I'd rather see him compete in the paralympics, and have his numbers beat the olympians.  Next year I'd like to see his numbers improve to the point that a biped runs the 100m in 5 seconds or something rediculous.

Think about this:  He's allowed to compete, he wins.

Queue thousands of children and athletes amputating on purpose to get an edge.

Exciting for me, not so exciting for the athletes who aren't mechanically improved.

[dominion]

I think its great that this guy can compete, i gues he will have certain points deducted etc, to ballance things out,and im sure that others will follow and in a shot time ther will be games and competitions that people like him can take part in, and even compete with us all, i bet he could give us all a good competition.

in my oppinion this is just what our sport needed, this will realy put us on the map,

i would love to meet this guy, he has my full suport.

I agree highly, bill... there needs to be some standard set that won't give him a hugely unfair advantage, as we all know how instense running on sprung stilts can be.  I still think it's amazing that he's still actively running and competing in events after something so traumatic however.  That in itself is amazing.

[Dark Knight]

Is this what could happen next
I'm writing this just before I go for my op.
I'm not the fastest running in my club but want to get to the Olymipics.
After watching last years Olympics and seeing how much spring help I thought that's the way to go.
So I hope to see you in three years time in London

Sorry I can't see how anyone can say it's fair !
How fast can YOU run on your Bocks !?

[bmthbloke]

[ 

My concern is this...   Okay, so let's assume he has no advantage at this point - though I'm not sure how that equality was measured.  What prevents him from going to a more powerful spring down the line?  I'd be interested in knowing if and how officials have set any standard for that - or if the officials have even thought of that potential problem.  Next year, an athlete like him may show up with the newer Model XJ-3000 version of the prosthetics with better springs - just as all competitive equipment is improved over time, such as the bobsleds, skis, etc.  Don't get me wrong...  It's great that he gets to compete in the games, but I think this going to open up a huge can of worms for the Olympics.

But Bill you assume that humans are standing still. Better coaching, diet, psychological training etcetcetc have all increased speed/performance

Tho one of the arguements againt the guy , as I understood it, was not that the springs whilst they imitated the performance  of a human lower limb, they couldnt replicate  the fatigue or pain or risk of injury ( damaged hamstring puts training back weeks --broken spring -next day delivery).

So its not a case of just thinking of this guy , its the people he would be competing against.

Gotta say for the judges , it was difficult and possibly a no win situation. And any1 who comes ahead of him in the olympics ( shouls he qualify), will soft heartedly be branded a 'vilain'

[stevie]

Kender, i cant realy see people going to that xtreme mate, or i hope they wouldn't, but i know a few people that have said, in a case of despaire or amputation, they would have bock legs etc permanently fixed,  again this would be a last resort for such people not a choice, and i don't want to get into a debate or argument etc over this,

i have worked with people with disabilities even shared a hospital ward with for a year in my army days, and our sport is something that they can adapt to, its something that i feel strong about, and i would give my time to help out with anyone with a disability that wanted to bock, for fun or sport.  

[Bill C.]

Looking at his springs, I can see how in that shape he probably doesn't have a big advantage.  A little spring action to compensate for a lack of muscle attachment to the lower leg, but that's about it.  But if that spring gets reshaped into more of a curved bock-like bow in future meets, I think there would be an advantage.

And any1 who comes ahead of him in the olympics ( shouls he qualify), will soft heartedly be branded a 'vilain'

I don't see how anyone beating him would be viewed by anyone as a villain.  Sure, we root for the underdog - but are we sure he is the underdog now?  And yes, athletic bodies and performance have improved over the years -- but the best athelete usually won't win without the best equipment if others he is competing against are using the best equipment.

I've seen runners with these prothestic devices in races and, amazingly, it doesn't look any different than a normal runner.  So I don't think this guy is going to fly down the track and have a real blowout of a win.  But I do think there will be a thousand times more clammer (both positive and negative) about this if he actually does win.

[Mr Frank]

His legs are .ighter and longer than normal human legs.  It's hard to compare, but if you just look at his body shape compared to the guys he's racing against, there's a noticeable difference.  He's in great shape himself, but the guys he races against are rail-thin muscular machines.  If he gets the same times at a lower fitness level, I think he has an advantage.

[Kender]

Kender, i cant realy see people going to that xtreme mate,

I don't expect anyone on PPages to do that, nor any of my friends.

but to think it wouldn't happen at all?  I wouldn't go that far.