Pistorius to start Olympic qualification bid in July

Double-amputee Oscar Pistorius is not in good enough shape to run an Olympic qualifying time yet but will attempt it in July, his manager said this week.

The South African can try to qualify for August's Beijing Games after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled last week that he could compete in able-bodied events because the carbon-fibre blades attached to both legs did not give him an advantage.

Pistorius will spend the rest of May and June working hard towards the task of clocking the 400 metres Olympic qualifying time of 45.55 seconds by training and competing in a series of paralympic events. His personal best is 46.33 seconds.

Pistorius will turn his attention to taking on able-bodied runners at races in Milan on July 2 and Lucerne on July 16 and at the Golden League meeting in Rome on July 11.

Athletes have until late July to qualify for the Olympics.