2 Sep 2012

Oscar Pistorius breaks world record at Paralympics

6:41 pm on 2 September 2012

South Africa's Oscar Pistorius began his London Paralympic campaign by beating the 200 metres T44 world record in his heat on Saturday.

Pistorius ran 21.30, shaving more than half a second off the previous record set by Brazilian Alan Fonteles Cardoso Oliveira in an earlier heat.

Pistorius is defending the 100m, 200m and 400m Olympic titles he won in Beijing four years ago.

Pistorius, who wears carbon fibre prosthetic blades after he was born without a fibula in both legs, became the first double amputee to run in the Olympics, where he made the 400 metres semi-finals.