Amputee athlete Oscar Pistorius to compete at World Championships

Oscar Pistorius will become the first amputee athlete to compete at the able-bodied World Championships after being chosen to represent his country, South Africa, in South Korea.

The Championships begin in Daegu on 27 August and 24-year-old Pistorius will compete in the 400m and 4x400m relay.

Pistorius, who runs on carbon fibre legs, said: "I have dreamt for such a long time of competing in a major championships and this is a very proud moment in my life.

"It will be a great day for me when I set out on the track in Daegu and I hope to do my country proud.

"This will be the highest-profile and most prestigious able-bodied event which I have ever competed in, and I will face the highest-calibre of athletes from across the planet."

Until 2008 Pistorius was banned from competing against able-bodied athletes because the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) believed he gained an unfair advantage from his “blades”.

The ban was subsequently overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport after a lengthy legal battle with the IAAF.

The four-time Paralympic gold medallist has run faster than any British athlete over 400m this season.