News of Oscar Pistorius’s murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp left Usain Bolt in disbelief, leading the sprint legend to distance himself from the disgraced Paralympian.
Oscar Pistorius shocked the world, including Usain Bolt
Usain Bolt was left stunned after learning about Oscar Pistorius shooting his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Pistorius, celebrated as the most famous Paralympian with six gold medals and a historic appearance at the London 2012 Olympics as the first double-leg amputee, became notorious less than a year later for the Valentine’s Day 2013 incident.
He shot Steenkamp through their bathroom door, claiming he mistook her for an intruder. Pistorius was initially convicted of culpable homicide, which was later upgraded to murder on appeal, leading to a nine-year prison sentence before his release on parole in January.
Bolt, who had met Pistorius at various events, was shocked by the news but wanted to reserve judgment until more facts were known. “For me, I’m really trying to take it all in,” he said the following day at the NBA All-Star Celebrity game.
“When I heard, I was in shock and I’m still just trying to process it in my head to see if this is really real. So I need to listen to what’s going on and see what’s really happening.”
The 100m world record holder also distanced himself from Pistorius when asked if he planned to reach out: “I’ve got to stand back and see what’s going on and then I’ll decide what to do.”
Bolt expressed his bewilderment in a later CNN interview that week. “When I heard it I was like ‘What? Who? As in the amputee, the guy who ran the 400 metres?'” he admitted.
“I was asking all kinds of questions because this can’t be the same guy that I’ve seen, that I know. And I still can’t process it really, I’m trying to process what really happened, what’s going on.”
“So as far as I’m concerned I’m just listening out, listening to the news, following Twitter and let’s see what’s going on because for me, I’m still in slight shock about what happened.”
While Bolt went on to cement his athletics legacy with three gold medals at the Rio 2016 Olympics, Pistorius spent nearly a decade in prison.
He now lives at his uncle’s mansion in South Africa and is believed to be working as a volunteer caretaker at a local church in Pretoria, remaining on parole until the end of his sentence in December 2029.
