Amputee Is German Long Jump Champion 175
hweimer (709734) writes "German long jumper Markus Rehm has written sports history yesterday, becoming the first disabled athlete to win a national able-bodied championship. His jump to 8.24 meters put him on the 9th place of the current season rankings and make him egligible to compete in the upcoming European championships, further sparking the debate whether his prosthetic leg provides him with an unfair advantage."
No, no unfair advantage at all... (Score:5, Insightful)
From TFA
Rehm runs and jumps with a specially designed blade that is 15 inches longer than his other leg
I can't imagine why anyone would accuses him of 'cheating' ...
The device is like a spring, so it stores energy as well as having extra length and mechanical advantage, and better still its far stronger and requires much more force to break.
I'm sorry he lost his leg, but there is no why this is 'fair' by any sense of the word.
Different equipment, different categories (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Body integrity identity disorder (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Body integrity identity disorder (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm not sure if this is just ignorance, a failed attempt to be funny, or a troll. If it's the latter, bravo to you as it appears as though it's worked rather well.
Re:Body integrity identity disorder (Score:5, Insightful)
One thing that keeps runners from "opting into" this prosthetic is that mainstream surgeons are forbidden to perform elective amputations.
I'd think that the main thing that keeps runners from "opting into" prosthetics is that most people don't want their fucking legs cut off.
Re:We need different divisions (Score:4, Insightful)
Oh, gimme a freakin' break. Appendectomy, really? Polio victims are crippled and won't pass the qualifying rounds. Or did you just come up with ridiculous examples for some unclear end?
The point of these "ridiculous examples" is to show that very few people now days are "unmodified".
Where do you draw the line? Olympic bicyclists have one leg larger than the other. Many other
professionals like weight lifters, etc... are similiarly deformed. Weird protein shakes and specialized
diets are the norm. Reinjecting your own blood right before game time is pretty common in some sports.
It's not a drug or enhancement but clearly is not something that should be allowed. How do you
regulate these things? What about someone who has a medical condition and needs to take steroids
or some other drug like an antidepressant that has a side effect of enhanced performance.
Professional sports for the most part are already twisted into a sport for only accidental freaks of nature
who in addition to having some lucky physical trait also train round the clock 24/7 with specialized diets
and specialized exercise routines. We all might be better off if we just say anything goes and see exactly
how far we can push technology and the human body instead of pretending that all athletes are normal
human beings that just walked in off the street.