The Downfall of a Sporting Icon: Oscar Pistorius' Journey from Olympian to Convicted Killer

At the 2012 London Olympics, before 80,000 roaring fans and a constellation of camera flashes, Oscar Pistorius took 45.44 seconds to become a global icon. The South African’s 400-meter sprint was the first time in history that a double-amputee had raced at the Olympic Games, and it seemed to embody the very best of sporting endeavor and the human spirit.

But less than six months later, Pistorius was found guilty of premeditated murder for shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp as she cowered in her bathroom at his home in the early hours of Valentine’s Day 2013. Pistorius, dubbed the Blade Runner for his carbon-fibre prosthetic legs, claimed that he tragically mistook her for a burglar and was only trying to save her from a dangerous intruder. The gruesome crime spurred an outpouring of support for the Paralympian and sent him into a dizzying celebrity spiral that led to features on the covers of TIME, GQ, and People.

He also forged a career as a motivational speaker, and his story inspired millions of disabled children to believe in themselves. Yet behind the carefully choreographed PR machinery, he was an unpredictable force. He had a volatile temper and was deeply insecure. His love of guns was well known—he slept with one under his bed at his high-security estate and once took a New York Times journalist to a shooting range.

And he loved to run. His artificial legs, nicknamed the Cheetahs because of their shape, gave him a distinct advantage over able-bodied competitors—they are said to weigh half as much as an athlete’s lower leg and can swing up to 10 percent faster than a normal leg—and that eventually sparked controversy. In 2007, the International Association of Athletics Federations banned his legs from competition, arguing that they gave him an unfair advantage over non-disabled athletes. But he appealed, and in 2008 the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned the ban.

Pistorius, now serving a 15-year prison sentence, made headlines for several incidents while he was on the outside world, from a speedboat crash that broke several ribs to his arrest in 2009 over empty alcohol bottles on board. And he was also open about his addiction to drugs.

So, was the public image of the man who killed Reeva Steenkamp wholly fabricated? Or has the tragedy revealed a much darker side to Pistorius, which will probably remain with him even when he is freed in 2022? Until now, there has been no clear answer. But when he returns to the hearing room, he will again be asked to present his case to parole officials. Then, we will know for sure what the truth is. We will see whether his heart is still in the right place and if he is genuinely repentant for what he did. And we will know whether he deserves another chance. And if so, then what? If not, he should remain in jail.