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“Emotional” Pistorius resumes track routine

Fri, 28 Jun 2013 14:00:00 +0000

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A bearded and much skinnier Oscar Pistorius was "overcome with emotion" as he pulled on his carbon fiber running blades for his first track training since the killing of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, his agent said.

With a short beard and a blue hooded Nike sports top, the lean-looking double-amputee Olympian did some light jogging at his first formal session in around five months on Thursday. He then described his return to a regular track routine for the first time since he fatally shot Steenkamp at his home on Feb. 14 as "bittersweet" to his agent, Peet van Zyl.

"It was a very emotional experience for him to put the blades back on, to walk back onto the track, get the smell of the track," Van Zyl, who went to the track at the University of Pretoria with Pistorius, told The AP on Friday. "It was tough for him. He said to me it was like a bittersweet feeling and emotion for him to be back on the track."

Pistorius' return to training was seen in a brief video clip released by his family. In the footage, which is around two minutes long, the athlete is first sitting on a chair at his usual training track at the university pulling on his running blades. He then does some light jogging on the sunbathed track and, finally, wipes his face with both hands as he walks off the track, hinting at the emotion Van Zyl described.

Pistorius back in court for hearing

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 12:32:00 +0000

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — Oscar Pistorius stood for his entire 15-minute court hearing Tuesday, staring straight ahead, hands clasped in front of him and giving away little emotion as the world got its first close up view of the double-amputee Olympian and murder suspect in nearly four months.

It was a stark contrast to the sobbing figure Pistorius presented through much of his bail hearing in February. Magistrate Daniel Thulare postponed the proceedings in Pretoria Magistrate's Court until Aug. 19 to allow police to complete their investigation into the Valentine's Day shooting death of Reeva Steenkamp. The delay underscores that the trial will be a slow process, with a verdict possibly not coming until next year.

The extension was sought by the prosecution, giving investigators six months to gather evidence, interview witnesses and prepare a case against the 26-year-old athlete. Pistorius' lead defense lawyer Barry Roux agreed with the postponement, and said they could start to deal with "pre-trial" issues in the high-profile case on the August date.

Pistorius' trial is not expected to start before September, at the earliest, and is likely to be conducted at the High Court in Pretoria. The Paralympic champion is charged with premeditated murder in the killing of his girlfriend.

Court eases bail restrictions on Pistorius

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 12:33:00 +0000

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — Oscar Pistorius can leave South Africa to compete in international track meets, a judge ruled on Thursday as he upheld the Olympic athlete's appeal against some of his bail restrictions.

Judge Bert Bam said Pistorius, who is charged with murder in the Valentine's Day shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, must travel under certain conditions. His passport will be held by a court while he is in South Africa, and he can only leave the country if he provides an itinerary of his travel plans at least a week before he is due to leave. Pistorius must also hand his travel documents back to the court within 24 hours of returning home.

The ruling in North Gauteng High Court opens the way for the Paralympic champion, who is facing a life sentence if found guilty of murder, to run in international competition again.

Although Pistorius' lawyers said in the appeal hearing that he had no immediate plans to compete, he would likely need to return to track in the future to earn money, they said. Pistorius himself, a double amputee widely known as the Blade Runner for his prosthetic legs, did not attend the court session.

Agent cancels all future races for Pistorius

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 21:16:00 +0000

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Oscar Pistorius' track career was put on hold indefinitely Sunday as his agent canceled all future races so the double-amputee Olympian can focus on defending himself against his murder charge.

After visiting Pistorius at the police station he is being held at, agent Peet van Zyl said in a statement there is "no option but to cancel all future races that Oscar Pistorius had been contracted to compete in to allow Oscar to concentrate on the upcoming legal proceedings."

Pistorius was arrested and charged with the Valentine's Day murder of model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, who was shot multiple times at Pistorius' upscale Pretoria home in the early hours of Thursday.

Pistorius has been held since Friday at the Brooklyn police station in the South African capital, where Van Zyl visited Sunday along with memebers of Pistorius' family and his legal team.

"The nature of my visit today was two-fold," Van Zyl said. "On a personal level I wanted to offer my support to Oscar, who I have known and worked with for the last seven years and consider a friend and a great professional athlete.

"Secondly, I wanted to briefly discuss racing matters, given that his key focus is defending himself against this serious charge."

Funeral for Reeva Steenkamp will be held on Tuesday

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 15:15:00 +0000

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The family of Reeva Steenkamp says her body is back in her hometown of Port Elizabeth and a private funeral has been planned for Tuesday.

Adam Steenkamp, the late model and law graduate's brother, says "Reeva is back home."

The family said Sunday that Steenkamp, who was shot dead inside boyfriend Oscar Pistorius' house early Thursday, will be cremated in a ceremony closed to the public and the media in the city on South Africa's southern coast.

Pistorius was charged with her murder and is expected to make a court appearance on Tuesday for his bail hearing.

The 29-year-old Reeva was seen laughing and smiling on South African television Saturday night after national broadcaster SABC chose to air the first episode of a reality TV show she featured in.

From Oscar’s Olympics to Pistorius’ Paralympics

Sat, 11 Aug 2012 16:59:31 +0000

LONDON (AP) — As he left Olympic Stadium, Oscar Pistorius stopped for a moment and looked back.

The double-amputee runner turned to take in the crowd of 80,000 and reflect on his victory in a four-year fight to compete at the London Games against the world's best able-bodied athletes.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: AP Sports Writer Gerald Imray, based in Johannesburg, has been covering double-amputee runner Oscar Pistorius' quest to compete against able-bodied athletes at the Olympics for the last two years. A day after the South African ran in the 4x400-meter relay final, Pistorius spoke to Imray about his experiences and what is next.

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"It's something I will definitely remember for the rest of my life," Pistorius told The Associated Press on Saturday, thinking back to his debut on the biggest track stage in the world. "It's been absolutely phenomenal. In a way, I'm glad the pressure's over."

But there's still more business for the "Blade Runner" in London.

In a few weeks, the South African will be back at the same stadium on his carbon-fiber blades for the Paralympics. He won't be a sideshow. He'll be the main attraction.

Pistorius enjoying peaceful buildup to Olympics

Sun, 29 Jul 2012 14:25:55 +0000

LONDON (AP) — Out in leafy west London, double-amputee Oscar Pistorius gets to run in relative peace.

That will all change very soon.

The South African 400-meter runner, who is set to become the first amputee to compete on the track at the Olympics, had a relaxed training session Sunday at a small university way out on the other side of the city from the bustling Olympic Park.

It'll get far busier for the 25-year-old "Blade Runner" starting Wednesday when he makes his first formal media appearance in London ahead of his historic debut Saturday in the 400 heats at the Olympic Stadium. He'll also be on South Africa's 4x400 relay team.

On Sunday, Pistorius ran 200-meter splits alongside teammate Ofentse Mogawane, pounding down the tree-lined track on his carbon-fiber blades as a handful of curious staff members and students from the university watched on. He then posed and smiled for a photo for two onlookers as he made his way back to his mark following one run.

Soon, though, Pistorius will likely be scrutinized by hordes of reporters, photographers and TV cameras when he makes his Olympic debut and finally completes his well-publicized four-year quest to run at the biggest track meet of them all.

Caster Semenya returns to racing June 24 in Spain

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 11:50:00 +0000

Caster Semenya has decided to wait for the results of her gender verification tests before returning to competitive running, saying Tuesday that she will race on June 24 at a meet in Zaragoza, Spain.

The 800-meter world champion said in a statement that she had agreed to the request by Athletics South Africa to wait for the results of the tests, which are expected in June.

Semenya said she still believed she should be allowed to compete but had reflected on the events of the past week. She was prevented from running in a competition near Cape Town last Tuesday and responded by threatening legal action.

"I believe that the decision to bar me from competing in Stellenbosch last week was unlawful and wrongful," Semenya said in the statement. "I have, however, considered the request by Athletics South Africa (ASA) that I await the conclusion of the International Association of Athletics Federations' (IAAF) processes by the beginning of June this year before I return to competitive athletics."

The 19-year-old South African, whose lawyers had said they would file legal papers against ASA if they did not clear her to run, said she wanted confirmation from the IAAF that her situation would be clarified by the beginning of June.