South Africa’s Oscar Pistorius

South Africa’s Oscar Pistorius smashed the 200 metres world record in his heat as he made his London 2012 Paralympics debut.

Pistorius ran 21.30, shaving more than half a second off the previous record set by Brazilian Alan Fonteles Cardoso Oliveira in an earlier heat.

The 25-year-old, who is dubbed the ‘Blade Runner’, is defending the 100m, 200m and 400m Olympic titles he won in Beijing four years ago.

Pistorius, who wears carbon fibre prosthetic blades after he was born without a fibula in both legs, became the first double amputee to run in the Olympics, where he made the 400 metres semi-finals