Oscar Pistorius, known as the “Blade Runner” for his carbon-fibre prosthetic legs, went from public hero as a Paralympic champion to a convicted murderer in hearings that drew worldwide attention nearly a decade ago.
Below is a timeline of his life and trial for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp as he seeks early release from prison:
1986
November 22 — Pistorius is born in Johannesburg. Born without fibulas, he has both legs amputated below the knees before his first birthday.
2003
Pistorius starts sprint training in high school after learning to walk on prosthetic legs.
2004
Running on carbon-fibre prosthetics, which earn him the nickname “Blade Runner”, Pistorius becomes a Paralympic gold medallist when he wins the 200m in Athens.
2008
Pistorius wins three golds at the Paralympics in Beijing.
2012
Hailed as a turning point for disabled athletes, Pistorius becomes the first double amputee to compete at the Olympics, where he reaches the 400m semifinals in London.
He wins two gold medals at the Paralympics.
2013
February 14 — Pistorius kills then girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, a law graduate and model, when he fires four shots through a locked bathroom door at his Pretoria home on Valentine's Day.
February 15 — Pistorius is charged with murder in a Pretoria court.
2014
September 12 — A high court judge convicts Pistorius of culpable homicide, letting him off the more serious charge of murder.
October 21 — Pistorius starts his five-year jail sentence.
2015
March 13 — A high court judge strikes down Pistorius' bid to block prosecutors from appealing the culpable homicide verdict in favour of a murder conviction.
August 19 — South Africa's justice minister blocks Pistorius' expected release on parole after serving 10 months of his five-year sentence.
October 19 — Pistorius is released to house arrest to serve the rest of his sentence at his uncle's home in a wealthy suburb of Pretoria.
December 3 — The Supreme Court of Appeal overturns the lower judge's ruling and finds Pistorius guilty of murder, arguing he should have foreseen the possibility of killing someone when he fired the shots.
2016
July 6 — Pistorius is sent back to jail for six years, less than half the 15-year minimum term sought by prosecutors.
2017
November 24 — The Supreme Court of Appeal more than doubles Pistorius' murder sentence to 13 years and five months, accepting state prosecutors' argument that the original jail term was “shockingly lenient”.
2022
June 22 — Pistorius meets Steenkamp's father as part of a victim-offender dialogue — an integral part of South Africa's restorative justice programme that brings parties affected by a crime together in a bid to achieve closure.
2023
March 31 — Pistorius has a parole hearing after serving half his 13-year sentence.
Reuters
TIMELINE | Oscar Pistorius: from 'Blade Runner' hero to convicted murderer
Image: ALET PRETORIUS/Reuters
Oscar Pistorius, known as the “Blade Runner” for his carbon-fibre prosthetic legs, went from public hero as a Paralympic champion to a convicted murderer in hearings that drew worldwide attention nearly a decade ago.
Below is a timeline of his life and trial for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp as he seeks early release from prison:
1986
November 22 — Pistorius is born in Johannesburg. Born without fibulas, he has both legs amputated below the knees before his first birthday.
2003
Pistorius starts sprint training in high school after learning to walk on prosthetic legs.
2004
Running on carbon-fibre prosthetics, which earn him the nickname “Blade Runner”, Pistorius becomes a Paralympic gold medallist when he wins the 200m in Athens.
2008
Pistorius wins three golds at the Paralympics in Beijing.
2012
Hailed as a turning point for disabled athletes, Pistorius becomes the first double amputee to compete at the Olympics, where he reaches the 400m semifinals in London.
He wins two gold medals at the Paralympics.
2013
February 14 — Pistorius kills then girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, a law graduate and model, when he fires four shots through a locked bathroom door at his Pretoria home on Valentine's Day.
February 15 — Pistorius is charged with murder in a Pretoria court.
2014
September 12 — A high court judge convicts Pistorius of culpable homicide, letting him off the more serious charge of murder.
October 21 — Pistorius starts his five-year jail sentence.
2015
March 13 — A high court judge strikes down Pistorius' bid to block prosecutors from appealing the culpable homicide verdict in favour of a murder conviction.
August 19 — South Africa's justice minister blocks Pistorius' expected release on parole after serving 10 months of his five-year sentence.
October 19 — Pistorius is released to house arrest to serve the rest of his sentence at his uncle's home in a wealthy suburb of Pretoria.
December 3 — The Supreme Court of Appeal overturns the lower judge's ruling and finds Pistorius guilty of murder, arguing he should have foreseen the possibility of killing someone when he fired the shots.
2016
July 6 — Pistorius is sent back to jail for six years, less than half the 15-year minimum term sought by prosecutors.
2017
November 24 — The Supreme Court of Appeal more than doubles Pistorius' murder sentence to 13 years and five months, accepting state prosecutors' argument that the original jail term was “shockingly lenient”.
2022
June 22 — Pistorius meets Steenkamp's father as part of a victim-offender dialogue — an integral part of South Africa's restorative justice programme that brings parties affected by a crime together in a bid to achieve closure.
2023
March 31 — Pistorius has a parole hearing after serving half his 13-year sentence.
Reuters
READ MORE:
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Give us our freedom: the latest call from Donovan Moodley and Oscar Pistorius
'He is a murderer. He should remain in jail'
Steenkamps withdraw Oscar’s forgiveness on 10th anniversary of Reeva’s murder
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