South Africa's Oscar Pistorius became the first double amputee to compete on the track at an Olympic Games on 4 August 2012, finishing second in his men's 400 metres heat with a season's best time. Nicknamed 'Blade Runner', Pistorius races wearing carbon fibre prosthetic blades after being born without a fibula in both legs. The 25-year-old, who is also in South Africa's 4x400 relay team, raced to huge cheers and looked comfortable throughout as he qualified for the semi-finals with a time of 45.44 seconds - beating a previous season's best of 45.52.