South African Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius will appear in court on Friday charged with the murder of his girlfriend.
The Paralympic champion, nicknamed the Blade Runner because of the prosthetic limbs he uses, is in custody after his girlfriend died from gunshot wounds at his house.
Police spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Katlego Mogale told Press Association Sport: “The suspect will appear at Pretoria Magistrates Court tomorrow after the State Attorney asked for more time to look at the case.”
Pistorius made history at the London 2012 Olympics when he became the first amputee sprinter to compete in the able-bodied Games, running in the 400m and 4x400m relay.
The Johannesburg-born athlete, who was born without fibulas in his legs and had the limbs amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old, had to win a legal battle over his blades with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in 2008 for the right to compete in able-bodied competition.
Kribani Pillay, from Johannesburg’s Talk Radio 702, said the area around Pistorius’ home was “teeming” with emergency services, media and onlookers.
Less than 24 hours ago, Pistorius was active on his Twitter account, retweeting South African movie channel MNet.
The tweet was about a film the channel is showing as part of its Oscars film awards celebrations - a campaign Pistorius is a brand ambassador for, according to his website.
Just three days ago, Pistorius tweeted about his excitement regarding his first race of 2013, accompanied by a photograph of him in action.
He said: “1 month till my first race of 2013.. Can’t wait to burn it up!”
On Pistorius’s website, a quote from Lord Coe from before London 2012 describes him as a “real inspiration to people around the world”, and a spokesman from sports giant Nike describes time with Pistorius as “some of the most inspirational time we’ve ever spent around an athlete”.
Lord Coe said: “Oscar is an extraordinary athlete who has made a significant impact in international sport.
“It will be fantastic to see him compete in London this summer - spectators can expect a real treat!
“He’s been a real inspiration to people around the world so we were thrilled when he decided to join our International Inspiration programme as an ambassador, helping us to inspire young people worldwide.”
Arturo Nunez, Nike emerging markets marketing director, said: “Nike routinely works with the best athletes in the world, and Oscar Pistorius stands out on that list.
“Many world-class athletes visit Nike and amaze our community, but the two weeks that Oscar spent on campus last summer went down as some of the most inspirational time we’ve ever spent around an athlete.”
Reeva Steenkamp, the woman believed to be Pistorius’s girlfriend, was active on Twitter just 14 hours ago.
Described in her Twitter biography as a model, cover girl and law graduate, Ms Steenkamp tweeted about Valentine’s Day.
She said: “What do you have up your sleeve for your love tomorrow??? #getexcited #ValentinesDay”
In response to someone else’s plans, she said: “That sounds amazing! Wow that’s what it’s all about! It should be a day of love for everyone :) may it be blessed!”
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