ROME (AFP) — South African athlete Oscar Pistorius ran a disappointing 47.78sec in Milan on Wednesday, his first race since being authorised to compete with able-bodied people which was outside the minimum for Olympic qualification.
Pistorius, who had both legs amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old, in May saw a ban on him competing with able-bodied athletes imposed by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
"I am very disappointed with my performance," Pistorius told Rai Sport shortly after the race. "The support of the people was incredible and I had hoped at least to be around the 46sec mark.
"I know the minimum for the Olympics will be extremely hard to do (45.55), I hope to get closer to it."
The 21-year-old Pistorius was well-placed at the mid-race point but then started to slow, finishing fourth in his heat. His best ever performance is 46.34, still well outside the Olympic qualifying mark.
His next race with able-bodied athletes will be at the Rome Golden League meeting on Friday July 11.
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