Will convicted murderer Oscar Pistorius compete again?
Oscar Pistorius, the one-time darling of the athletics world, has been released on parole after serving nine years for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013. Now released, with the ‘Bladerunner’ ever compete again?
While he is free from the confines of a prison cell, Pistorius is still not a free man as he is required to live within the terms of his parole, the terms of which have not been made fully public.
Per reporting by The Guardian, Pistorius is expected to live with his uncle in Waterkloof, in Pretoria. He will reportedly be staying in an outhouse on the grounds of a $1,070,000 compound that includes a pool and tennis courts.
The one time Olympian is now required to attend classes on gendered-based violence and anger management, something he has reportedly struggled with in the past.
Per The Guardian, the South African runner will not be allowed to drink alcohol during his parole period that will end in 2029. Whilst he is not under house arrest, his movements are severely limited by his parole conditions.
Whilst the exact terms of his parole are unknown, Pistorius is required to ask permission if he intends to travel or seek employment, meaning a return to the track is unlikely at this stage.
Reports emerged during Pistorius’ initial prison stint that he was training hard at the gym with hardened criminal Radovan Krejcir and was able to keep himself in good shape. That was nearly 10 years ago now making a return difficult.
The Paralympian is also now 37 years old and probably far beyond his athletic peak with most runners losing their top end speed some time around 30.
Given the terms of his parole, we don’t expect Pistorius to return to the track any time soon, and given the fanfare that would come with any return, we assume most of his fellow competitors would be happy if he stayed as far away as possible.