Paralympian places Rio hopes on science
Paralympic long jump champion Markus Rehm hopes a scientific study will clear him to compete at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro by finding that he has no unfair advantage over able-bodied athletes by using his carbon-fibre prosthesis.
Rehm is hoping to compete both at the Olympics in August and at the Paralympics in September. To become eligible under international rules, Rehm has to prove that his prosthesis gives him no advantage over athletes with a similar disability or non-amputee long jumpers.
Rehm could become the second athlete with a carbon-fibre prosthesis to compete in the Olympics and the Paralympics after South Africa’s Oscar Pistorius in 2012.
The German Sport University in Cologne said it will conduct the study jointly with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Tokyo, the University of Colorado and a Japanese broadcaster. The results will be presented at the end of June.
“They will measure and analyze data from Markus Rehm and similar calibre athletes to better understand his performance and compare his performance to that of non-amputee athletes,” the German sports University said Tuesday in a news release.
The study will allow scientists to “objectively consider” whether Rehm’s prosthesis gives him an advantage, the statement said.
A new rule by the International Association of Athletics Federations introduced last year leaves it to amputee competitors to prove their prosthesis does not put them in an advantage over able-bodied athletes. Rehm lost his lower right leg in a boating accident.
He was prevented from competing on the German team at the European Championships, with officials saying the prosthesis could give him an unfair catapult effect.
Under current rules, the 27-yearold Rehm would not be eligible for the German team.