'Blade Runner' Pistorius and Millar head for London

South African athlete Oscar Pistorius (GETTY IMAGES)

Oscar Pistorius will become the first amputee sprinter to compete at the Olympics after being selected for South Africa's individual and relay 400 metres efforts at London 2012.

The double amputee, 25, known as "Blade Runner" because of his prosthetic, carbon-fibre limbs, ran 0.22sec short of the Olympic 'A' standard in last Friday's African Championships. Reflecting on his selection, Pistorius said: "Today is truly one of the proudest days of my life.

"To have been selected to represent Team South Africa at the London 2012 Olympic Games in the individual 400m and the 4x400m relay is a real honour and I am so pleased that years of hard work, determination and sacrifice have all come together.

"I have run two Olympic 'A' standard times over the past 12 months and, with the time I ran at the African Championships last week, I know my speed and fitness are constantly improving so that I will peak in time for the Olympics.

"I am also hugely excited to then be competing to defend my three Paralympic titles at the Paralympic Games."

David Millar has been named in Great Britain's five-man road cycling team. The 35-year-old Scot served a two-year ban from 2004 after he admitted taking the performance-enhancing drug EPO.