In Pictures: Oscar Pistorius makes history

Olympic Games 2012 Athletics, Track and Field

It has been a long road for South Africa(***)s Oscar Pistorius who fought a hard campaign to compete alongside able-bodied athletes. He was banned in 2007 but a year later the Court of Arbitration overturned the decision so he was allowed to follow his Olympic dream

Affectionately nicknamed the (***)blade runner(***), Pistorius lined up in lane six for the opening 400m heat. But what would happen to the man who had the eyes of the world on his blades?

Pistorius qualified in relaxed fashion finishing second behind heat winner Luguelin Santos of the Dominican Republic. He even had time to ease up over the final few metres but still set his fastest time of the year

The reaction to Pistorius(***) run has been overwhelmingly positive. Premier League footballer Joseph Barton called him (***)an inspiration(***) and many on Twitter said he was their hero

However, the Oscar Pistorius story is not black and white. If he wins the 400m gold then eyebrows may start to raise. But right now he is enjoying his success and popularity

He had some moving words for the media who fought to get the attention of the man of the moment. "I(***)ve worked for six years... to get my chance." He continued, "I found myself smiling in the starting blocks. Which is very rare in the 400 meters."

The Olympic journey ended for Pistorius when he finished last in the semifinals. He is now looking ahead to Rio and once again taking on able-bodied athletes and inspiring the world