Pistorius boost

THE prosthetic legs of double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius give the South African a 10-second advantage over a 400-meter race, according to researchers from two American universities. Peter Weyand of Southern Methodist University and Matthew Bundle of the University of Wyoming found that Pistorius, who has been cleared to compete against able-bodied athletes, runs the 400 distance 10 seconds faster than he would if his prosthetic limbs acted like normal legs. "Pistorius' sprinting mechanics are anomalous, advantageous and directly attributable to how much lighter and springier his artificial limbs are," Weyand said. "The blades enhance sprint running speeds by 15-30 percent."