Monday, September 03, 2012
Pistorius "sorry" over timing of outburst
(Reuters) - South Africa's 'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius has expressed regret over the timing of his outburst following his shock loss to Brazil's Alan Oliveira in the 200 metres final at the London Paralympic Games on Sunday.
Pistorius streaked into an early lead and was almost 10 metres ahead as the athletes came into the home straight but the Brazilian launched a stunning fightback and surged to victory over the final few metres.
South Africa's Oscar Pistorius crosses the finish line in second place during the men's 200m T44 classification at the Olympic Stadium during the London 2012 Paralympic Games September 2, 2012. REUTERS/Olivia HarrisThe result left the South African double amputee, who was defending his 100m, 200m and 400m Paralympic titles from Beijing, seething and he claimed his opponent's prosthetic blades were too long.
In a statement on Monday, the sprinter stuck to his claim but apologised for raising his concerns immediately after.
"I want to apologise for the timing of my comments but I do believe that there is an issue here," said the 25-year-old, who last month became the first double amputee to run in the Olympics and made the 400 metres semi-finals.
"I accept that raising these concerns immediately as I stepped off the track was wrong.
"That was Alan's moment and I would like to put on record the respect I have for him.
"I am a proud Paralympian and believe in the fairness of sport. I am happy to work with the IPC (International Paralympic Committee) who obviously share these aims."
(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; Editing by John O'Brien)
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