Oscar Pistorius makes history at London 2012

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by Crunch Sports Staff

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Oscar Pistorius of South Africa competes in the Men's 400m Round 1 Heats on Day 8 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 4, 2012 in London, England (credit: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

Oscar Pistorius made Olympic history on Saturday, becoming the first double amputee to race at the Olympics, and qualifying second from his 400m heat.

Pistorius, known as the as the 'Blade Runner' due to his prosthetic legs, finished in a time of 45.44 seconds, four tenths of a second behind Dominican Luguelín Sanchez.

The 25-year-old looked set to miss out on a place in the individual event after failing to run a second 'A' qualifying time to gain automatic selection.

He fell short at his final attempt last month, but was selected for his country's 4x400m relay team - in which he won a silver medal at the World Championships last year - which also meant he could be selected for the individual event.

"I was so nervous this morning," he said after qualifying for the semi-finals.

"Thanks to everyone for showing their support. I didn't know whether to cry, I had a mixture of emotions.

"It was the most amazing experience."

Pistorius was cheered on by a capacity 80,000 crowd at the Olympic Stadium and he can expect a similar reception when he lines up in the semi-final, and in the 4x400m relay.

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