The 'Blade Runner', South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius, is set to become the first amputee runner to compete at an able-bodied world championships after shattering his personal best and qualified for the top competition.

It will be an historic moment for the 24 year-old South African, as well as the international athletics, as Pistorius, the double amputee and will be competing against able-bodied athletes for the first time.

Pistoruis ran 45.07 seconds for the 400 metres at a meeting in Lignano last Tuesday in his final race,good enough to qualify to make it into the 13th World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea, next month.

Oscar Pistorius said, "I think my reaction on Monday, you know the Monday that we ran the qualfication time for the World Championships (Note: Pistorius' 45.07 time was actually achieved on Tuesday 19th July), I was just overjoyed really. It's a feeling of accomplishment, but is also a relief, I think. You know, I've been aiming for this time for five years and worked very hard, it's worth it though. To achieve that time. I felt very good before the race and I felt very good in the race, so I knew it was a quick time but it was such a sense of relief as well, because every race you want to aim for that time and you don't get it, but you're closer and closer and closer. And to finally achieve it, I think it's just a bit surreal, a bit unexpected."

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