Olympic Athletics

Skeeter said:
Commentators just set my GF off (she's an Occupational Therapist who has worked a lot with bilateral amputees). Apparently a bilateral amputee uses 300% the energy that an able bodied person does, so she finds the claims of an advantage rather insulting.
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Goes against what the IOC's own studies have come up with. IIRC they came up with an 18% energy saving due to the design of the blades.

I can certainly believe it's significantly higher with standard prosthetics.
 
Skeeter said:
Commentators just set my GF off (she's an Occupational Therapist who has worked a lot with bilateral amputees). Apparently a bilateral amputee uses 300% the energy that an able bodied person does, so she finds the claims of an advantage rather insulting.
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Lol what a load of nonsense. You trying to tell me an average bilateral amputee needs 6000 calories a day?

Also the possible advantage comes from the way the blades spring. It's been proven scientifically there is no overall advantage though.
 
Stumble Bum said:
Why is he allowed to race in the real olympics. Isn't this what the paralympics is for??
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If people with no legs are deemed able to race in the normal 400m then surely the 400m should be removed from the paralympics as being disabled is no longer considered a disadvantage for that particular sport?

That's what you could make from the decision I guess.
 
desires said:
Lol what a load of nonsense. You trying to tell me an average bilateral amputee needs 6000 calories a day?

Also the possible advantage comes from the way the blades spring. It's been proven scientifically there is no overall advantage though.
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its not nonsense its fact



In Physical Therapy Management of Lower Limb Amputations by Gertrude Mensch and Patricia M. Ellis, quoted studies indicate that an amputee who walks the same distance as a non-amputee will have a higher level of oxygen consumption. For example, quoted figures for amputees with vascular deficiencies compared with non-amputees indicate an increase in oxygen consumption for:

¦below-knee amputees from 9% to 20%

¦above-knee amputees from 45% to 70%

¦bilateral above-knee amputees up to 300%

This increased oxygen consumption is the reason amputees seem to get out of breath much more quickly. They need more energy to do tasks - even simply walking across a room requires more oxygen. Of course, the higher the level of amputation, the more energy required to walk.
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desires said:
Lol what a load of nonsense. You trying to tell me an average bilateral amputee needs 6000 calories a day?
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No. 300% the energy to do the same actions. I highly doubt any bilateral amputee is going to be as able and do as much activities on a daily basis as an able bodied person.

Edit: This is above knee. The figure is less, but still significant, for below knee.
 
desires said:
If people with no legs are deemed able to race in the normal 400m then surely the 400m should be removed from the paralympics as being disabled is no longer considered a disadvantage for that particular sport?

That's what you could make from the decision I guess.
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Sure, if you want to ignore the point of the paralympics, and that this is only one person.
 
Some how i doubt his kit is the same as the average amputee's.

If it provides no advantage right now i don't mind him being there, it does make me a bit wary of the future though. T100 winning the 100m in a future near you :p
 
Azza said:
Because he's been fast enough to race with able-bodied athletes and no one in his T44 class can keep up with him.
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If he were to be quick enough to win, would he still be allowed to compete or would the prosthetics be seen as an advantage? I'm sure that able bodied athletes wouldn't accept him if that were the case due to a (perceived) advantage, even if there is no real advantage.

It's very difficult ground and I'm glad I don't have to make the decision.
 
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