8/4/2012 11:50:27 PM
I think that from just an intellectual standpoint it's an interesting debate. Even beyond the basic mechanics and preparation it takes to get to that moment. . .but how much motor planning and brain power has to be devoted by the natural able bodied athlete and the modified athlete. . .I'd love to hook them up while they're running to see.
8/4/2012 11:53:50 PM
8/4/2012 11:55:12 PM
8/4/2012 11:55:24 PM
They need to ban fast-twitch muscle fiber
8/4/2012 11:55:31 PM
unfair
8/4/2012 11:57:47 PM
You know what else is unfair, Amendment 1.Sorry, I don't know why I thought of that.
8/4/2012 11:58:19 PM
8/4/2012 11:58:32 PM
I think some handicapped kid just pee peed in someone's cornflakes.
8/5/2012 12:01:34 AM
They have their own Olympics. So I for one, think he nor anyone else with artificial limbs, should be allowed to compete.
8/5/2012 12:04:24 AM
Saps is full of shit I saw him run down a cheetah once
8/5/2012 12:04:30 AM
8/5/2012 12:08:11 AM
both of those are horrible analogies
8/5/2012 12:13:50 AM
I think we should allow amputees to compete on Segways.[Edited on August 5, 2012 at 12:21 AM. Reason : Bow to your robot overlords.]
8/5/2012 12:20:34 AM
8/5/2012 12:24:33 AM
8/5/2012 12:32:01 AM
He will never tear his Achilles tendon or have plantar fascitis. He doesn't have to make sure his shoes are tied.That's all I know.
8/5/2012 12:35:26 AM
"Lil Tink Tink"[Edited on August 5, 2012 at 12:51 AM. Reason : e]
8/5/2012 12:47:55 AM
8/5/2012 12:53:27 AM
8/5/2012 1:10:39 AM
He should required to wear shoes
8/5/2012 1:26:18 AM
i was going to make a serious reply but now im laughing too hard at BHS's post
8/5/2012 1:28:37 AM
8/5/2012 1:30:37 AM
First off, he is not necessarily lighter. He is 177lb. at 6'1". For comparison, Usain Bolt is 6'5" and 189lb. So the guy who is 4 inches taller is 12 pounds heavier. That's WAY less of a difference than it should be. So claiming that he is lighter is not a valid argument. You argue that his lack of muscles in his lower legs and feet only equates to less energy expended and less fatigue. However, at the same time he has no control over the shock absorbing traits of his prostheses. It makes more sense to me that it would A) be harder to control the force you are putting into the ground below you and B) eliminate the ability to push off as smoothly as you are working with one spring when on the prosthetic, as opposed to having a precise control over your spring that is your lower leg. There is no clear evidence that he has any distinct advantage or disadvantage by running on prostheses. There is clear evidence that it is harder to run on them than running on legs that are physiologically sound. Then again, it's all training and learning how to do it and do it well. He has done that. Until there is some scientific evidence that he is somehow at a distinct advantage by running on prostheses, then this argument is basically moot.EDIT: Also, the cars analogy was fucking terrible. If they were letting niggas on rollerskates compete, you might be in the right ballpark, but wheels provide mobility only. Just putting a wheel on an amputee's stump makes no godfuckingdamned sense, and you know it.[Edited on August 5, 2012 at 1:44 AM. Reason : ...\]
8/5/2012 1:41:58 AM
8/5/2012 1:54:16 AM
no point in arguing, some people think they know everything from watching tv.
8/5/2012 1:55:59 AM
8/5/2012 2:00:09 AM
Pistorius' legs were amputated half way between his knee and ankle. On average, the legs make up 31.4% of total body weight, and the shank, ankle, and foot make up 36.83% of that. So for some one who is currently 177lb without half of his shank along with his foot and ankle, he should be somewhere around 185lb. His prostheses weigh around 3 pounds. So at best, he is "gaming the system" for 5 pounds. I would just like to note that there are no weight requirements for runners, and this motherfucker didn't start running until after his legs were amputated, so basically he trained with his current body and weight (as it has changed over time) and his other muscles developed according to this current weight. It's not as if he became a world class athlete at one weight and then chopped off some limbs to cut weight.
8/5/2012 10:30:50 AM
If there's more than two things quoted in a post, its probably stupid ad definitely not worth reading
8/5/2012 10:36:35 AM
8/5/2012 10:44:17 AM
I have no idea whether he has an overall advantage or disadvantage (and really, no body knows it for a fact), but that's irrelevant.I think the point is that the games are (should be) for people with natural bodies, unless the prosthetic part is completely un-involved in the performance of the event. That should be written into the constitution of the Olympics.If you have prosthetic legs and you are competing in archery, no problem. But if you are running with artificial legs, you are relying on external materials for the very act of running, and that's not fair (REGARDLESS of whether the artificial legs are advantageous or otherwise). Are we going to allow leg amputees to take part in swimming with prosthetic fins?I have never followed the Paralympics... so why can't he participate in them? I mean, they are especially organized for such cases, so what's the problem? How can cross-competitors be allowed? That doesn't make sense.Also, just so some people don't get pissy
8/5/2012 10:55:05 AM
8/5/2012 11:07:22 AM
Here's my major issue:40 years ago, did we have the technology to allow a guy like this to compete in the Olympics? No. Not even close.40 years from now, what kind of technology will be available to amputees that would allow them to repair/supplement their lost limbs? It's absurd to think that in that amount of time, there would even be a question as to if a guy like this would have an advantage. Of course he would. So at that point the issue becomes how much technology do we allow competitors to use in order to even the playing field. I haven't read up enough to know for sure whether or not this guy has an advantage right now, but I think that allowing him to compete sets a really horrible precedent for future games because then the olympics become more about the amount of allowable technology and less about the natural ability of the athletes. The line has to be drawn somewhere, and I'm afraid this example has already stretched things way too far.I think it's amazing what this guy has done but it's ridiculous that they even considered letting him compete. Image if he wanted to be a swimmer, but to be competitive he would need to strap fins on his stumps to allow him to even the playing field with other Olympians. That's not even something that any rational person would consider, yet when he wanted to be able to run among the fastest people on earth, he was allowed to use technology to allow him to do just that. I honestly don't see any major differences between those two scenarios, but for some reason one was allowed, and the other seems like a joke.
8/5/2012 11:09:27 AM
the only thing in here I would like to comment on is this:
8/5/2012 11:15:33 AM
You know what's better than winning an Olympic gold medal?Having legs.
8/5/2012 11:20:43 AM
I don't know if this guy has a net advantage or not. It sounds like every study so far has said 'maybe, maybe not'. It is certainly possible given that he has been training his whole career on prosthetic legs that he has molded his body to exploit any advantages that may exist.To say there are no advantages to his situation is absurd. It is equally absurd to say there are no disadvantages. I don't see how anyone in the world is really qualified to say that he is completely at a disadvantage though, even other amputees. How many people exist that are world class runners and double amputees? How many run using the same prosthetics? It is certainly a good topic for debate. Those in this thread saying there is a clear advantage/disadvantage/no advantage come off sounding like jackasses to me though. We just don't know[Edited on August 5, 2012 at 11:25 AM. Reason : 32e32]
8/5/2012 11:24:50 AM
video on his story and a bit on some advantages/disadvantages of his prosthetics. http://www.nbclearn.com/portal/site/learn/science-of-the-summer-olympics
8/5/2012 12:23:42 PM
He clearly has advantages and like others have said, he has clear disadvantages. Someone posted about having a net advantage, and pretty much said how it is hard to quanitify.As i'm sure you all know, the prosthetics he is using has been around a while. I'm sure there have been improvements to them over the years fine tuning them. Others run on the cheetahs, but dont record the times he does.That being said, I think it is unfair that he is allowed to run in the olympics, not because he has an advantage, but because now a line has to be drawn as to what is allowable and not allowable as technology advances. We are fortunate to be at a crossroads in technology and time where for the first time ever, a man with no legs from the knee down is able to compete at the same level as the fastest men in the world. Though I think it's unfair, I want to see him compete. I'd also like to point out that the man is not bionic.What time does he race today?
8/5/2012 12:35:49 PM
Lines are already having to be drawn with performance enhancing drugs. They can do it again for situations like this.
8/5/2012 1:46:51 PM
]
8/5/2012 1:47:45 PM
Though the situations are vaguely similar, I think they are still very distinct. The difference is that all rules will not apply to all contestants with regards to using prosthetics and mechanical technology can advance at very quick rates that will also only affect a percentage of athletes. How do you define what is a "fair"/legal weight and shape for example...is it fair only if those using prosthetics are not winning medals? Is it fair that say o.p. comes back next olympics and wins several medals, and his prosthetics have been made lighter by an 1/8th of a pound though he has worked his ass off training. How do you weigh those variables and many others for ALL olympic events? Fierce litigations will ensue for the olympics to come.[Edited on August 5, 2012 at 2:44 PM. Reason : d]
8/5/2012 2:39:25 PM
He should be in the paralympics. Answer me this, supporters: should athletes who have both legs be allowed to wear these blades? Would the IOC allow them to wear the blades?I don't care if you think it's an advantage or disadvantage for the purposes of this question, it's a very simple would/should the IOC allow it if a runner with both legs wanted to use them.
8/5/2012 2:53:29 PM
8/5/2012 3:15:37 PM
he has less muscle to propel himself with.
8/5/2012 3:57:20 PM
He done, y'all.
8/5/2012 4:02:27 PM
olympics is serious bidness
8/5/2012 4:04:49 PM
Well but in the Paralympics not everyone has both legs amputated, so if it's unfair for him top use his blades against people with two legs, it is still unfair for him to use them against people with one leg too, right? Look, when it comes down to it, the dude's personal bests are still far behind most of the sprinters in the world. So at the very least, his prostheses don't make him some super human sprinter. He did well in 2004 at the Paralympics and then wanted to compete in the Olympics in 2008. He was denied and then went to the Paralympics and destroyed it, winning gold in every event that he competed. It was then that the studies came out that said that there was no clear advantage over the other competitors (net advantage) and he was cleared to compete in 2012. He made it to the semis and is done now. Generally, i feel like if someone is so good that they are destroying everyone at the Paralympics and they want to try their hand (assuming they have one) against those who have fully able bodies, then let them. Maybe they will win, maybe they won't, but I just don't see how it hurt anyone for him to compete this year. It was a good story and got people interested in the Olypmics. Fuck, maybe let the IOC consider it as a similar thing to the Wild Card Invitations like they do for developing nations. Keep studying it and when we can determine a clear advantage or disadvantage we can change things.
8/5/2012 4:30:57 PM
8/5/2012 4:38:18 PM
The best part is I went back after I had finished the whole thing and was reading back over it and added that in. It made me giggle.
8/5/2012 4:40:19 PM
He's just another African trying to cheat the system.
8/5/2012 4:46:08 PM