Oscar Pistorius, the South African sprinter who became a global icon at the 2012 London Olympics, has been granted parole a decade after he shot and killed his girlfriend. Pistorius, who made history as the first double-amputee to race at the Olympic Games, had a promising career that came to a tragic end on Valentine’s Day 2013.
During his highly publicized trial in 2014, Pistorius claimed that he had mistaken his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, for an intruder when he shot her at his home in Pretoria. The trial captivated the world as gruesome details of Steenkamp’s death were examined in court.
Pistorius’ once sparkling career suffered as a result of the trial. Sponsors dropped him, and he had to sell his homes to cover legal expenses. In 2017, the Supreme Court of Appeal increased his jail term to 13 years and five months after prosecutors argued that he showed no genuine remorse.
The murder trial shed light on Pistorius’ darker side, revealing a volatile man with a fondness for guns, beautiful women, and fast cars. Prior to the shooting, Pistorius had a history of violent incidents, including assaulting a woman at a party in 2009 and firing a gun through the sunroof of an ex-girlfriend’s car in 2011.
Despite his troubled past, Pistorius had a remarkable journey to success. Born without fibulas, his legs were amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old. He excelled in sports, particularly running, and shattered records at the Paralympic Games. He successfully fought to participate in able-bodied athletics, despite arguments that his prosthetic legs gave him an unfair advantage.
Pistorius’ story of triumph over adversity made him a global inspiration and earned him a spot on TIME magazine’s list of the world’s most influential people in 2012. However, less than a year later, he found himself on the cover of the same magazine with the headline “Man, Superman, Gunman.”
Now, after serving his minimum detention period, Pistorius has been granted parole. However, the mother of his late girlfriend still doubts his version of events and believes he hasn’t told the truth about what happened that fateful night.
Despite his release, Pistorius’ life and reputation will forever be marred by the tragic events of that Valentine’s Day.
