Oscar Pistorius had said that he was worried about what the mood would be like in his room in the athletes' village on Saturday night. He is sharing with his South African team-mate Arnu Fourie, and both men are competing in the T44 200m final on Sunday. They are actually grouped in different classes – Pistorius is T43, Fourie T44 – even though both are competing in the same event.
"It is going to be a bit awkward the night before the final," Pistorius said. "I might have to drop some sleeping pills in his water."
It turns out that Pistorius will not have to worry too much. They should both sleep well, seeing as they both set world records in the heats. Pistorius beat his own T43 world record of 21.58sec, set in 2007, when he finished the third heat in 20.30sec. In the preceding race, Fourie set a T44 world record of 22.57sec, knocking five hundredths of a second off the time set by the USA's Jim Bob Bizzell in 2008.
If it all seems a little confusing, all you need to know is that there are two very happy, very quick South Africans staying in the village. Unfortunately, the curious – and flawed – categorisation system for the race means that only one of them will be able to win a gold medal. Fourie's world record did not even win him his heat, leaving him second behind the USA's Blake Leeper. He is at a distinct disadvantage, given that his disability is recognised as being more severe.
Pistorius on the other hand obliterated the competition in his heat. The two runners bringing up the rear, Sri Lanka's Dumeera Maduranga Alwis Pituwala Kankanange and Cape Verde's Marcio Miguel Da Costa Fernandes, were so far behind him that the stadium announcer almost had time to get through their names before they joined him at the finish.
