Oscar Pistorius 2012 Olympics: Results, Analysis and More

Even before he runs a race at the 2012 Olympics in London, South Africa's Oscar Pistorius has become a sensation that will hold the collective attention of a worldwide audience. 

Pistorius, as you can tell from the photo above and have no doubt heard about prior to the Games starting, is a double-amputee who runs with two prosthetic legs. 

The fact that he qualified for the Olympics is a huge story, but he has a real shot to win at least one medal. Known as "Blade Runner," which is one of my favorite nicknames ever, Pistorius has his fair share of critics who don't think it's fair for him to be in these races. 

Former Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson has been very outspoken (via UK Telegraph), saying that Pistorius' participation is not warranted "because we don’t know for sure whether he gets an advantage from the prosthetics..."

Criticism or not, Pistorius' time starts now as track and field events get underway in London on Friday. 

We will have a full look at his schedule of events, as well as what Pistorius has done to get to this point in each event. 

(Note: Slides will be updated at the end of each race.)

4x400-Meter Relay

4x400-Meter Relay takes place with Round 1 on Thursday, August 9 at 6:35 a.m. ET and the finals on Friday, August 10 at 4:20 p.m. ET

UPDATE: Thursday, August 9 at 8:45 a.m. ET by Adam Wells

Pistorius will get the chance to compete for a team medal in the 4x400-meter relay after all. It was previously thought South Africa was done following a crash in the first round, but BBC Sports reported that the team was allowed in the finals after filing an appeal. 

"

"Blade runner" Oscar Pistorius to race in Friday's 4x400m final after all. South Africa through as appeal rules they were impeded in heat.

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 9, 2012"

I can see some arguments for and against South Africa being put in the race. On the one hand, the team was robbed because of an error from someone on another team. On the other hand, we don't know how South Africa would have fared if the race had finished. 

Either way, we will get to see South Africa and Pistorius get the chance to go for the gold in Friday's finale. 

---------END OF UPDATE---------

UPDATE: Thursday, August 9 at 7:50 a.m. ET by Adam Wells

Pistorius' Olympics ended before he had a chance to get South Africa into the finals of the 4x400-meter relay. According to the Associated Press, his South African teammate "Ofentse Mogawane collided with Kenyan runner Vincent Kilu about 90 meters from the finish of the second section and fell."

Certainly, this is not the finish that Pistorius had in mind when he traveled to London. This was his best shot at a medal, but now he will be left with a lot more questions that will never have answers. 

---------------END OF UPDATE-------------

Pistorius' best, or most likely, shot at a medal at the Olympics comes in the team relay, but it is going to be a steep climb for him and South Africa in order to get there. 

The 4x400-meter relay is incredibly top heavy, with the United States and Jamaica as the overwhelming favorites to take the top two spots. After that, there is a small group that includes the South Africa, Russia and Great Britain squads, who will be vying for the No. 3 spot. 

Of course, where you are favored to finish and what actually happens are often two different things. Pistorius does not have to run his fastest time in order to get a medal in this event, though he will need his teammates to support him and vice versa. 

400-Meter Semifinal

Oscar Pistorius dream of an individual gold at these Olympics is over. He failed to qualify for the finals after coming in last in his semifinal. 

It was a disappointing showing after a promising preliminary effort. He finished with a time of 46.54 seconds in the semifinal, which was more than a full second slower than his time that earned him a second in his preliminary. 

Pistorius will now turn his attention to trying to win a medal as a part of the South African 4x400 relay team. 

400-Meter Heat

With a 45.44 second run in his 400-meter dash heat, South African star Oscar Pistorius advanced to the semifinals, adding yet another amazing chapter to this storybook Olympic Adventure.

If you love the stories behind the athletes as much as you love the actual competition, keep an eye on Blade Runner as he gets closer and closer to medal contention.

While most experts don’t feel like the young star is fast enough to win a medal in his individual event, there is a chance that Pistorius can advance past the semifinals with a nice draw and a great run.

It’s obvious Pistorius won’t leave any effort in the tank.

The next individual race on Blade Runner’s schedule is the semifinals on Sunday, August 5 at 3:40 p.m. ET. If he can somehow advance past that event and onto the finals, Monday, August 6 will become the biggest day of the 2012 Olympics.

With a strong performance in his first heat, Pistorius now has the Olympic confidence to go with his inspirational story and unbelievable talent. You can’t miss Blade Runner’s next race!

400-Meter Race

400-Meter Race takes place with Round 1 on Saturday, August 4 at 5:35 a.m. ET, the semifinals on Sunday, August 5 at 3:40 p.m. ET and the finals on Monday, August 6.

Pistorius' journey towards an Olympic medal will begin very early, at least in the United States, with the first round of the 400-meter race being the fourth track and field event of the day on Saturday. 

Just as a point of reference, Pistorius' personal-best time of 45.07 seconds in the 400 meters, set last year, would have been good enough to finish fifth in the finals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. 

However, a more appropriate race might have come over a month ago, when Pistorius finished the 400 meters in 45.30 seconds. It would be unfair to expect him to beat his personal best time whenever he steps on the track. 

Still, if Pistorius is able to make it through to the finals, that could easily end up being a bigger story than Usain Bolt setting a world record in the 100-meter dash. But everything starts with the first round on Saturday morning.