Oscar Pistorius is one of the fastest men on the planet, an Olympian whose achievement is all the more impressive because of the prosthetic blades on which he runs.
In Qatar this week, Pistorius ran a 100m race against a horse, and as you can see by the video above, the Blade Runner absolutely dominates the Arabian steed. It was part of a "Definitely Able" campaign designed to demonstrate that disabled athletes deserve the same respect and opportunities as able-bodied ones.
"It wasn't about who won today, it was just about coming out here and really just showing people that those with disabilities are not to be stereotyped against," Pistorius said afterward. "Having the Arab horse out here, which is a symbolization of strength and power in this region ... to be able to do a showcase event like this is a lot of fun."
But, as you can see in the video above, the horse doesn't exactly get the best start. And as a result, people are complaining that the race was either rigged, cruel or both. The South African SPCA claims that the horse was "unnecessarily and cruelly whipped from start to finish."
"I participated in the race in good faith as it was to promote abilities across sport and I was totally unaware of any alleged excessive force being used on the horse," Pistorius responded. "I don't condone any ill-treatment of animals. Those who know me are aware of my well-publicized love of animals."
Pistorius was one of the most inspirational figures in the London Olympics, but controversy seems to have a way of following him around.