--- title: A 2007 Interview with Oscar Pistorius | TIME description: In 2007, TIME's Sean Gregory sat down with Oscar Pistorius to discuss fame, fighting the International Association of Athletics Federations, and Olympic hopes. canonical: https://time.com/video/31ZmuAds/ og:title: A 2007 Interview with Oscar Pistorius og:description: In 2007, TIME's Sean Gregory sat down with Oscar Pistorius to discuss fame, fighting the International Association of Athletics Federations, and Olympic hopes. og:url: https://time.com/video/31ZmuAds/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/31ZmuAds/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: A 2007 Interview with Oscar Pistorius twitter:description: In 2007, TIME's Sean Gregory sat down with Oscar Pistorius to discuss fame, fighting the International Association of Athletics Federations, and Olympic hopes. twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/31ZmuAds/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # A 2007 Interview with Oscar Pistorius > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: A 2007 Interview with Oscar Pistorius [Watch (HLS stream): A 2007 Interview with Oscar Pistorius](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/31ZmuAds.m3u8) (6:48)  _Published 2013-02-22. In 2007, TIME's Sean Gregory sat down with Oscar Pistorius to discuss fame, fighting the International Association of Athletics Federations, and Olympic hopes._ --- Jul 27, 2023 3:30 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [Oscar Pistorius Convicted of Culpable Homicide](/video/ESfw5pyY/) ### Oscar Pistorius Convicted of Culpable Homicide [Oscar Pistorius POV Home walk through](/video/QPR9cSgJ/) ### Oscar Pistorius POV Home walk through [Oscar Pistorius Cries in Court](/video/QK89io1L/) ### Oscar Pistorius Cries in Court --- ## Transcript What made you say I want to be a runner. [ SOUND ] You know, how did you get into sprinting? Well, basically I had my legs amputated when I was eleven months old. That's fine. And at 13 months old, I got my first pair of prosthetics and from there, I mean, my parents they never really sheltered me from doing anything that I wanted to try. I've played. Anything from tennis and canoeing to, I've done boxing and I've done water polo and rugby and that's actually how I got into running in 2003, I had a rugby injury. Okay. And then I started sport rehabilitation in the beginning of 2004 in January, and one of the aspects of the rehabilitation was to go into athletics. And that, not necessarily compete, but just do the training, so I could get back up to speed with the, [ CROSSTALK ] you know, with the injury and, and that kind of thing. And then I've got two three competitions. And I'm scheduled to go back to the regular, you know, I've got invites to come run in the states, in the meets and I came over. And then when I got back, they put my, my name on a short list for Athens, for the paralympic games and I apparently stuck into from there. When did you make the decision, and why did you make the decision to, you know, compete against able bodied athletes. Well, I mean, it wasn't really that decision. It was a decision to compete against disabled athletes. [ CROSSTALK ] I grew up as a, as a, I don't view myself as disabled to start with. You know, people have got a stigma that disabled sports are second grade version of everybody's sports. That the Paraparalympics' is a second grade version of everybody's sports, or Olympics. And I think I was, you know, I could say that maybe I share that assessment as well, you know, I don't think that, I don't know anything about just other sports. Ive never competed in it. Right. And when I got to obviously through the preliminary things I was still a bit edgy and when I got Athens, [ SOUND ] I realized the paralympics there's a certain. Competitive spirits and sense and passion in the paraolympics that I don't think you'll find in any other sporting event. [ CROSSTALK ] However I do think that like they're the effect that I'm running qualifying or close to qualifying times for the Olympics. That seems like the next logical step for me to take. Right, and you finished second in the 400 in the South African [ CROSSTALK ] championship, and that's with Able Body. Yeah, that's Able Body championships, yeah. So, I mean, what's your biggest beef then with the IAAF? I mean, what's your biggest kind of, you know? You know, I think, I think my biggest our biggest issue is you know not any from my point of view and my management's point of view, But this is not only from a disabled point of you, but I think out of all a lot of, a lot of everybody's experiences that I've spoken to and heard about. I think they biggest outcry has been that the IAAF are seen as you know one of the top organizations, associations in the world concerning athletics. And, and yet I've made such an, an amateur decision regarding you know, I think the, the way that they've handed is a whole guilty until proven innocent aspect as well as. As well as you know, if, if, if there was an organization that could do the research and the, the homework basically regarding the prosthetics, that they should be the first ones to do it. You know and I also think that they added a certain, you know negative stigma towards para Olympic sports as far as, as taking away the ability of their athletes. The one comment they made was that, if they allow prosthetics to run, then they might as well allow a person with a jet pack strapped to their back. I mean like. For a professional company to use such a, a, a quote. [ CROSSTALK ] That is pathetic. That That is, said that Joe. Where did they say that? Do you know when they're? It was quoted in the Daily Telegraph by the [ CROSSTALK ] Telegraph? Yeah. If that's, if that's the approach they're taking, I think they're seriously need to wake up. Right. I believed in living in plane field so, but at the moment that signalling is not allowing me to get a 100 % of my statistic power after every body foot work. I'll be happy if that I've never said anything about it again that I am apologize about any thing if they just allow me to compete at the level that am used to competing on. Right, right. [ CROSSTALK ] That's not, I'm not asking for much. Right. In the Olympics, and what would the Olympics mean to you. Nothing for any athlete, except the biggest competition. Right. Biggest showcase, you got biggest atmosphere. My extent, as far as competition goes and, and as far as my career goes. It's leaning towards everybody sprinting and, and I'd like to compete in the Olympic games. And paralympic games together. You want to do both at Beijing? Yeah. [ CROSSTALK ] Definitely. If not then, then in 2012. So, London. So. In South Africa are you, [ COUGH ] are you, are you recognized in the streets or you kind of a? I can vouch for that. [ LAUGH ] You'll see. I'm not really, I'm not in there for [ CROSSTALK ] [ INAUDIBLE ] to be in the public eye. Young women native between the ages of 16 and 25. Young, young, young women between 16. [ LAUGH ] I'm doing my part for society. [ CROSSTALK ] Do you do a lot of, do you do a lot of commercials, and stuff like that? I have done a couple. I've done a couple. Drought campaign [ CROSSTALK ] it's just massive going to be gone soon just. [ CROSSTALK ] Nike just do it campaign that's a way just taking different local sportsman from different sporting fields whose really achieved and excelled. Right. Who had basically, whether it be like. What a. Circumstances. [ CROSSTALK ] Yeah, circumstances odds were stacked against him. But they. Right. Made a success of their career. Right. With Oscar being, Right. With the suggestion. One of my rugby players who was literally a gangster and. You know, we're we're dealing drugs and stuff like that and by getting into sports changed these lives around, so they're selling new story and it's gonna be on billboard, printed media all that, yah. So it's Nike [ CROSSTALK ] It's a Nike [ UNKNOWN ] baseball. And so what got you, did your parents push you into athletics? Never. I've never ever felt like my parents have pushed me. They've opened up opportunities and said this is what you can do and this is what we don't really want you to do. And this is what we really don't want you to do at all, but go and do what you want and see for yourself what works for you. And I think that's what's important as well. [ NOISE ] It happens a lot, especially with disabled kids with parents who are very protective and don't allow their kids, you know, show their kids to fall over. You okay? And I think at the end of the day you need to learn for yourself. Your limits and boundaries and push those and, and, and that's where you end of the day you end up excee, you know, succeeding and exceeding. Right. Expectations really. ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"A 2007 Interview with Oscar Pistorius","description":"In 2007, TIME's Sean Gregory sat down with Oscar Pistorius to discuss fame, fighting the International Association of Athletics Federations, and Olympic hopes.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/31ZmuAds/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2013-02-22T14:46:24.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/31ZmuAds.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/video/31ZmuAds/","duration":"PT6M48S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/video/31ZmuAds/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}} ```