Pistorius leads SA team to IPC

DOUBLE amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius will lead the 35-strong Team South Africa that leaves today for the IPC Athletics World Championships in Christchurch, New Zealand.

The event has a major importance on the IPC calendar as it is the last big gathering of international athletes before the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

SA's star-studded team will be among more than 1000 athletes from more than 70 countries around the globe who will take part in the championships.

Pistorius will be competing in the 100m, 200m and 400m events.

Apart from Pistorius, another triple gold medallist from Beijing Paralymics, Hilton Langenhoven, will also be in action as will be long-distance legend Ernst van Dyk.

There's also another Beijing gold medallist among the eight-strong women's team, in the shape of Ilse Hayes.

Team manager Dion Bishop said: "It's a large team that we're taking to New Zealand and all the Paralympic medal winners are competing again. I am confident of us doing as well as we did in Beijing, although one obviously needs to take into account that a lot of new talent is included for the world championships."

The SA team: Pistorius, Fanie van der Merwe, Langenhoven, Teboho Mokgalagadi, Arnu Fourie, Samkelo Radebe, Jonathan Ntutu, Pieter du Preez, Fanie Lombaard and David Roos. Others are Francois Badenhorst, Duane Strydom, Michael Louwrens, Nicholas Newman, Jan Nero, Gerrit Kruger, Heugene Murray, Joshua Joubert, Casper Schutte, Bernard Haarhoff, Juandre Jenkinson, Van Dyk, Mncedi Khanti, Ishmael Legodi. Relay specialists: Andrea Dalle Ave, Dyan Buis.

Women: Ilse Hayes, Anrune Liebenberg, Aleesha Gerber, Zanele Situ, Chenelle van Zyl, Juanelie Maijer, Given Ratsoma, Nontobeko Mabizela, Carmen Mentor.