People walking normally, women tottering in high heels and ostriches strutting all exert the same forces on the ground despite very differently-shaped feet.

PARIS, July 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Oscar Pistorius, who had both of his legs amputated when he was eleven months old and who now runs with the help of two metal prosthetics, qualified last Tuesday (July 19, 2011) for the World Championships in Korea this August, by running the 400 meter race in Lignano (Italy) in 45.07 seconds (the maximum qualifying time was 45.25 seconds). (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20110727/471779-a ) (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20110727/471779-b ) His performance was outstanding- more than one second faster than in his first 400 meter race of the season.

The artificial lower limbs of double-amputee Olympic hopeful Oscar Pistorius give him a clear and major advantage over his competition, taking 10 seconds or more off what his 400-meter race time would be if his prosthesis behaved like intact limbs.

A study by six researchers, including a University of Colorado at Boulder associate professor and his former doctoral student, shows that amputees who use running-specific prosthetic legs have no performance advantage over counterparts who use their biological legs.

South African paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius was to appear in a Pretoria court Monday on charges of injuring a party guest at his home. Prosecutors say Pistorius, a double amputee known as the Blade Runner because of the prosthetic legs he uses while sprinting, this weekend slammed the door of his home on the leg of a woman whom he had earlier kicked out of a party, the BBC reported. Police reported Pistorius had ordered Miranda Stoltz, 19, out of his house Saturday night when she began arguing loudly with her partner.