Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius shot to the limelight for his fight to compete against able-bodied athletes, after he was barred from doing so by the international athletics body, the IAAF. The Court of Arbitration for Sport later allowed him to participate in the Beijing Olympics qualifiers, but he failed to make the grade. He has always kept himself busy, and these days, his workload is stretched to the limit. The mornings are spent in his Pretoria training base gearing up for the athletic season, and then it’s an hour’s drive down to Johannesburg to attend corporate meetings and make appearances at bookstores to promote the newly released English version of his autobiography — Blade Runner. Taking time out from his hectic schedule, Pistorius speaks to The Indian Express about his love for India, cricket, his dream of racing with Usain Bolt and his life in prosthetics. Excerpts:
What developed your interest in writing an autobiography so early in your career? What do you want to convey through your book?
My autobiography was released a year and a half back, titled Dream Runner in Italy and it’s now awaiting its English version with a slightly different title. When I was approached with the idea, even I asked if I’m not too young to write a book. Then I decided to tell my story of growing up with disability. I wanted to recall my struggles so that it can be an inspiration and help in building morale. My book is a complete book, it is aimed at everyone.
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