Pistorius qualifies from his 400m heat

LONDON - “Blade runner” Oscar Pistorius has made it through the opening round of the 400m heats in a season’s best time, making history in the process as the first double amputee to compete in the Olympic Games.Pistorius came second in the opening heat of the 400m in a time of 45.44sec, behind the Dominican runner Luguelín Santos, who finished in 45.04sec.Pistorius has said many times that he considers himself the same as any other athlete, but the 80,000 pairs of eyes in the Olympic Stadium were only trained on one man.Running in lane six, even his warm-up drew cheers from the crowd as he settled into his blocks. He accelerated into the second half of the race, before slowing at the finish as he realised he was in a position to qualify for Sunday’s semi-finals.“I was so nervous this morning,” said Pistorius. “Thanks to everyone for showing their support. I didn’t know whether to cry, I had a mixture of emotions. It was the most amazing experience.”The four-time Paralympic gold medallist became the first double amputee to compete in the Olympic Games following a long journey that involved not only the usual punishing training regime but also a lengthy court battle against his sport’s governing body.