Oscar Pistorius overcame a double amputation to compete and win the 400m event at the S. African Championships. Erik Weihenmayer, the first blind person to climb Mount Everest, remarked: “It’s too easy to credit Pistorius’ success to technology. Through birth or circumstance, some are given certain gifts, but it’s what one does with those gifts, the hours devoted to training, the desire to be the best, that is at the true heart of a champion.”
Unfair advantage, perhaps? A dilemma we face however, is that technology will push advancements in the way the human body works, faster than evolution. Those in opposition, will end up being left behind. Just a thought.
That’s a good point, he has faced a lot of opposition in the past. I was more taken in by the fact that someone can have a disability like that, and still hope to compete at the highest levels, it shows a lot of determination.
It’d be interesting though, to see where the fine line is drawn, for the use of technology in sports; between using this as an example, and comparing with an athlete who uses performance-enhancing drugs to win.