The ‘broke and broken’ Olympian
At the 2012 London Olympics, before 80,000 roaring fans and a constellation of camera flashes, it took Oscar Pistorius 45.44 seconds to become a global icon. Then on Valentine’s Day in 2013 his achievements were just as quickly demolished. On that day, he shot and killed his 29-year-old girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, apparently believing her to be an intruder.
Here’s a timeline of the life and trial of Pistorius:
Born on November 22, 1986 in Johannesburg, without fibulas, Pistorius has both legs amputated before turning one-year-old.
After learning to walk on prosthetic legs, Pistorius becomes a keen sportsman in high school, turning to sprint training in 2003.
Running on carbon fibre prosthetic blades which earn him the nickname “Blade Runner”, Pistorius becomes a Paralympic gold medallist over 200m in Athens in 2004. Wins three gold medals at the Paralympics in Beijing in 2008. Wins the right to race against able-bodied athletes at the London 2012 Olympics. Arrested and charged with murder after firing four shots at Steenkamp through a locked bathroom door at his luxury Pretoria apartment. High court judge Masipa convicts Pistorius of culpable homicide in September 2014 after sensational seven-month trial. Pistorius starts his five-year jail sentence on October 21, 2014. On August 19, 2015, South African Justice Minister Michael Masutha blocks Pistorius’ release on parole due in two days, saying decision to free him was made without the right legal basis. Pistorius released to house arrest on October 19 to serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest at his uncle Arnold’s home. Supreme Sourt of Appeal overturns Masipa’s ruling and finds Pistorius was guilty of murder.