Oscar Pistorius runs into semis of 400m

Oscar Pistorius made history on Saturday as the first amputee to compete in track at the Olympics. He cruised to a second place finish in his 400m heat.

The 25-year-old runner called “Blade Runner” was born without fibulas and his legs were amputated before he turned one.

80,000 fans watched at Olympic Stadium including his 89-year-old grandmother as the South African finished in a season best time of 45.44 seconds.

Pistourius personal-best time is 45.07 seconds, not fast enough to contend for a medal, but his goal was simply to have a spot in the semifinals, which he did.

“I’ve worked for six years … to get my chance.”

Pistorius has four Paralympic gold medals, but wanted the chance to run against able-bodied opponents. He has been through dozens of hearings in front of hundreds that had to decide if the blades gave him an unfair advantage. He then had to convince South Africa’s Olympic committee to accept his qualifying times.