Amazing In Our Eyes

It's not the medals that count, it's the personal victory of having surpassed that goal you set for yourselves. Despite having no legs , he did not sit back and cry . He did not give up and let  his passion die . But made the right effort to dream and act and God saw the undying spirit. The fire in his belly and lifted him up to glory. God sees the intention and not the ability. For if he only thought of his disability and handicap, Oscar wouldn't have  crossed the barrier that society has placed before such disabled folks.We must master the art of the possible and God will lift us up to the impossible .

Oscar Pistorious competed with able bodied people and made history by reaching the semifinals of the 400mts. What an inspiration ! 

Destiny is not a point to be reached but a road to be taken . We have to learn to perfect  the ride and make it as enjoyable as possible. That way we become masters of our destiny.The journey has it's ups and downs. Whatever be your situation one can look beyond the circumstances and take that step of faith to bite a little more than you can chew. You will be surprised at your own ability . Learn to seize the day by having a positive expectancy. It's in the dark that you can see the stars. But how many of us have learned to look up , rather we are buried in our troubles . We don't have to do great like Oscar Pistorious but can do the little things in a better way. So that when taken together , the sum is more than the parts.  

-Bijoy Joseph

Double-amputee Oscar Pistorius makes history on the Olympic track 

London— After South African Oscar Pistorius made history Saturday by becoming the first double-amputee to
compete in the able-bodied Olympics, fellow 400-meter runner Bryshon Nellum recalled what it was like being in a
wheelchair after he was shot in both legs in a drive-by shooting when he was 19, his career in jeopardy.

Nellum said he could relate to Pistorius, if only a little.

"It's amazing what he's doing," said Nellum, who is from Los Angeles. "He motivates all of us. If something like that
happens to you, you lose both your legs, it's like, wow. Some people would give up. For him to continue to run with
people with legs, it's unbelievable. It's amazing."

Running on two high-performance carbon-fiber prosthetics, Pistorius finished second in his heat — 16th overall out of
47 runners — and qualified for Sunday's semifinals accompanied by the roar of 80,000 spectators. Half an hour later,
he was still feeling goose bumps.

"I didn't know whether to cry," Pistorius said. "I had a mixture of emotions. It was the most amazing experience, the
crowd was amazing."

Pistorius was born without a fibula in either leg, so they were amputated below the knees under the advice of doctors
when he was 11 months old.

"I've worked for six years to try to make the 400 (qualifying) standard, and to come out here today is just an
unbelievable experience," Pistorius said. "I found myself smiling in the starting blocks, which is very rare in the 400
meters. As I came out of the tunnel, I saw my friends and family, my grandmother — she's 89 — she was there with
the South African flag. It was just an amazing experience."

Track and field's ruling body, the International Association of Athletics Federations, banned Pistorius from competing
in able-bodied meets in 2008, taking the position that his prostheses gave him an unfair advantage. The Court of
Arbitration for Sport reversed the decision, but he failed to make the Beijing Olympics because he had not achieved
the Olympic time standard (45.3 seconds) in the event.

Pistorius achieved the standard last March, and Saturday he achieved his dream.

"It's very difficult to separate the occasion from the race," Pistorius said. "You get so much energy from the crowd.
You've heard a lot of athletes saying the track's quick, and I believe the track is fast. But the crowd is what is making
it that much more enjoyable."

Pistorius said he was very nervous before the race because so much responsibility came with the opportunity. While
some debate whether he has an unfair advantage, he wanted to prove he belonged. He finished the race in 45.44
seconds, his second-fastest time of the year.

"Just being here is a tremendous experience," Pistorius said. "You draw a lot from the crowd and the occasion. It's
one thing being here, and it's another thing performing. That is a task I take seriously. I want to represent my country
well. My goal was to make the semifinal, and that was going to be a tough goal for me. I had to run a very hard race
to make the semifinal today."

Others in the race were reluctant to address the issue of competitive advantage. They saw an inspirational moment
for what it was, and celebrated Pistorius for it.

"He created history," said Kirani James of Grenada, who had the ninth- fastest time of the day, 0.21 of a second
faster than Pistorius. "I have a lot of respect for the guy, he's a very great person, most importantly. If he wants to
compete with us, he's just another competitor out there that just has a lot of love for track and field. He adds some
elements to our sport which will generate a lot of interest in our sports."

Even as he felt lingering goose bumps, Pistorius conceded it's unlikely he will qualify for Monday's finals, but he was
OK with that. He achieved his goal.

"I couldn't have hoped for anything better," Pistorius said. "My goal was always to make the semifinal. I've been able
to do so, and good luck to my competitors. I'm looking forward to coming back here and seeing you all here again." 

-By John Meyer (The Denver Post)