Oscar Pistorius of South Africa competes in the men's 400-m race at the London Games on Aug. 4, 2012.
For Oscar Pistorius, all the scientific questions and legal battles became worth it on the morning of Aug. 4. That day, with 80,000 fans cheering him in the starting blocks, Pistorius made history, becoming the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics. Did prosthetics give Pistorius an advantage over able-bodied athletes? We may never know for sure. But after he finished second in his heat, there was no doubting his grit and sheer athleticism. No matter that he finished last in his semifinal heat the next evening. Athletes like Pistorius and Sarah Attar, the first Saudi Arabian woman to run in the Olympics — who finished last in her 800-m heat — created lasting Olympic memories by breaking down barriers.