Oscar Pistorious shows off his carbon fiber prosthetic leg.
Listening to Oscar Pistorious (aka Blade Runner) is always inspiring. The South African native was born with a medical condition that required both of his legs to be amputated below the knee at 11 months old, but despite this disability, he has managed to earn the distinction of the "fastest man on no legs." I had already heard much of his story when he spoke at Oakley HQ a few months back, but I'm just amazed at how many sports he participated in as a teen. The man is incredibly humble and is always a pleasure to listen to.
One of my favorite stories was the one he told about his mother. She had gone to 12 different doctors and based on reputation and accomplishments narrowed the list down to the top 3 to perform the procedure on Oscar. However, one of them had indicated they should just amputate at the knee since he "wouldn't be able to use it anyway" which kind of infuriated her. Needlesstosay, they didn't go with this "expert" but after she received his bill for consultation services (which she paid), she sent him a bill back for her own "expert" consultation on the topic of her son's condition.
After his speech a bunch of us from Oakley went out to dinner with him and I found out he is a big auto enthusiast. No surprise the man likes speed, but it was awesome to hear about his love for his Bimmers (135, E46 M3, E92 M3), Mini, and Porches. His favorite right now is his heavily customized 135.
He's close to his quest to be able to compete in the 2012 London Olympics (against "able-bodied" athletes). Hope he makes it!