PAROLE: The once glittering career of the double amputee once dubbed “the Blade Runner” seem to have reached a cul de sac

By Sports Reporter

Former sporting superstar Oscar Pistorius might be the most famous killer in the world. The former Paralympic champion left prison in South Africa on Friday on parole, having served half of his more than 13-year sentence for murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013.

The twists and turns of his trial nearly a decade ago absorbed the nation – and his release is a massive news event here in South Africa and around the world. The double amputee won six gold medals over three Paralympic Games and made history in 2012 by becoming the first amputee sprinter to compete at the Olympics, in London.

But Pistorius is now a convicted murderer. He is not a celebrity seeking a comeback after falling out of fashion or battling personal demons.

His career as an athlete is over. Brands will not want to sponsor him. He will not be sought out as a sports commentator. The 37-year-old, once dubbed “the Blade Runner”, is said to look physically very different from the athlete people remember. Local media have speculated on his future, including that he may become some sort of pastor, which follows his father saying several years ago that Pistorius was taking an active role in the Christian community within prison.

It has not been officially confirmed where he will live, although multiple sources said he will stay with his uncle Arnold in one of Pretoria’s most exclusive areas, protected behind the property’s high walls.

It is where journalists, including the BBC, gathered on Friday morning. Some of his relatives were seen coming and going in vehicles but did not answer any questions. A bunch of flowers addressed to Pistorius was delivered to his uncle’s home at lunchtime. Pistorius himself will also not be able to answer any media questions on his future. Among the terms of his parole – due to expire in 2029 – is a ban on speaking to the media. Should he break this, or other conditions which restrict him from consuming alcohol or prohibited drugs, he can be returned to prison. Many of the parole restrictions Pistorius will face over the next five years he shares in common with every other parolee in the country. However, his high profile makes the release unusual.

In recent times, much public debate and commentary has emphasised the need to focus on victims of crime, rather than perpetrators. Usually, when a person is convicted of murder after trial, the killer’s account – which might have been very distressing for the victim’s family – typically fades from public discourse, with the killer often hidden from sight in prison for decades.

In this case the killer is world famous and being released while still in his late 30s, after less than eight years in prison. Ms Steenkamp, a law graduate and successful model, had her future taken aged only 29. The ban on media interviews for Pistorius will eventually expire and he will then be free to speak. His fame means he will find a platform.

Gwyn Guscott, Ms Steenkamp’s close friend, says “every time we start processing and coming to terms with things, Oscar pops up”. She predicts he will eventually seek to use the media attention to once again tell his version of events.

“Him coming out and speaking to the public, and possibly, you know, triggering one of our emotions in the wrong way, it’s just going to set us all backwards.” Ms Steenkamp’s mother, June, has said she does not believe Pistorius had been rehabilitated nor does she believe his story claiming that he thought her daughter was an intruder on the night he shot her.

On the day of his release she said that she and her late husband, Barry, had accepted that parole was part of the South African justice system. “The conditions imposed by the parole board, which includes anger management courses and programmes on gender-based violence, send out a clear message that gender-based violence is taken seriously,” her statement said.

“Has there been justice for Reeva? Has Oscar served enough time? There can never be justice if your loved one is never coming back, and no amount of time served will bring Reeva back. We, who remain behind, are the ones serving a life sentence.” The potential Pistorius’s release creates for future publicity for him will not be welcomed by the Steenkamp family. “My only desire is that I will be allowed to live my last years in peace with my focus remaining on the Reeva Rebecca Steenkamp Foundation, to continue Reeva’s legacy,” June Steenkamp said.

In South Africa, you do hear different views on the case, with people in the same social circles or families expressing vastly differing views on his culpability. Some forget he was convicted of murder on appeal, remembering the original conviction of culpable homicide, a lesser offence equivalent to manslaughter, and people’s memories of the evidence have inevitably faded.

Under South African law, all offenders are entitled to be considered for parole once they have served half their total sentence. But Bulelwa Adonis, of South African campaign group Women for Change, says his early release reveals a “normalisation of leniency when it comes to predators, when it comes to anyone who commits any kind of femicide or gender-based violence”.

She feels the fact that he was once a national hero still colours some people’s perceptions. “I think it is high time we challenge ourselves to actually perceive this person for what they’ve done,” Ms Adonis says.

For Ms Guscott the position is clear. Since her friend Reeva Steenkamp was “brutally murdered” in 2013, she “hasn’t had one second to rest in peace correctly”.-BBC SPORT

TEN REASONS TO BE EXCITED FOR 2024

RIVALRIES RENEWED: There are many things to look forward to in the sport of athletics in the upcoming year, including the Paris 2024 Games

By Sports Reporter

There’ll be six global championships in 2024, with ever-expanding one-day meeting circuits spread throughout the year. Rivalries will be renewed, and record-breakers will continue to push boundaries in their respective disciplines.

Here are just 10 of the many reasons to be excited by what’s to come over the next 12 months.

• Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Athletics is the No.1 sport in what will be the biggest event on the planet this year. 100 years after Paris last hosted the Games, the Olympics will return to the French capital where 2000 athletes from about 200 countries will compete for medals in 48 disciplines from 1-11 August. Expect duels, drama and record-breaking performances as athletes compete for the highest honour in the sporting world.

• World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24

The first global track and field championships of the year will start in just two months’ time as Glasgow hosts the World Indoor Championships on 1-3 March. In Belgrade two years ago, pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis and triple jumper Yulimar Rojas set world records to claim gold; they’ll be looking to add to their medal – and record – tally in Glasgow, as will a host of other top track and field stars.

• World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24

For the first time since 2017, the World Relays will be held in the Bahamian capital as the global event returns to the venue of the first three editions. From 4-5 May, athletes will be vying to secure their place in the 4x100m, 4x400m and mixed 4x400m for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Expectations of a nation rests on their shoulders – and their baton exchanges.

• World Athletics Cross Country Championships Belgrade 24

Just two years after the Serbian capital hosted the World Indoor Championships, Serbia will this year play host to the world’s best cross-country runners. Recent editions of the event, in both Aarhus and Bathurst, have put athletes to the test on gruelling courses, so expect more of the same on 30 March.

• World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24

After the latest successful edition of the World U20 Championships in Cali two years ago, the global event will return to South America as Lima becomes the first city in Peru to host a World Athletics Series event. The championships will take place from 27-31 August and will showcase the world’s most promising up-and-coming stars.

• World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships Antalya 24

Is there room on the calendar for one more global event? Go on, then. For the first time ever in the history of these championships – including all previous iterations – Turkiye will play host to the World Race Walking Team Championships on 21 April. The first 22 teams here will automatically qualify for the marathon race walk mixed relay – the newest Olympic discipline – at the Paris Games.

• One-day meeting circuits

While championship action is great, the likes of the Wanda Diamond League and World Athletics Continental Tour is where athletes can be seen in action week in, week out throughout the peak of the outdoor track and field season. Before that, there’s also the World Indoor Tour, while other series such as the Cross Country Tour, Combined Events Tour, Race Walking Tour and Label road races will provide competition opportunities throughout the year.

• Record breakers

Athletes continued to push boundaries throughout the past 12 months on the track, field and roads. Expect more of the same in 2024 as the likes of Faith Kipyegon, Mondo Duplantis, Kelvin Kiptum, Yulimar Rojas and Ryan Crouse

• Big clashes

Rivalries between the sport’s biggest stars always provide a gripping narrative for any season. For 2024, expect some mouth-watering clashes to come from the likes of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Femke Bol in the 400m hurdles, Kelvin Kiptum and Eliud Kipchoge in the marathon, Gudaf Tsegay and Sifan Hassan in the 10,000m or Daniel Stahl and Kristjan Ceh in the discus to name but a few.

• New stars

Every year a new generation of talent emerges. Some of those will be athletes who started to make a bit of a breakthrough towards the end of last year, while others may be athletes who fans have barely heard of. Either way, keep your eyes peeled as the season unfolds to witness the future stars of the sport mixing it with the world’s best athletes.