He was the golden boy of the Paralympic Games, competing and winning in multiple events including the 2012 Summer Olympics. He was a demigod who won the hearts of his countrymen including people around the world who witnessed his meteoric rise. He had everything from trophies to product endorsement. However, the legend that he tried to build, which should have lasted beyond his lifetime started to crumble the moment he pulled the trigger that faithful Valentines Day in 2013.
Now, Oscar Pistorius would have to endure another sensational leaf in his book as Strathclyde University stripped him of his honorary degree. The honorary degree was conferred by the Scottish institution after Pistrius' became the first differently abled person to compete in the Summer Olympics. Pistorius competed at the men's 400 meters and 4 x 400 relay races at the 2012 London Olympics.
The Pretoria runner Pistorius traveled to Glasgow when he received the honorary degree in 2012. Now, a university spokesman stated that the institution had to revoke the honorary degree after Pistorius was convicted of culpable murder, which carried out a fifteen year jail term, which was appealed by Pistorius' lawyers and was later reduced to five years.
Meanwhile, the author of "Chase Your Shadow: The Trials of Oscar Pistorius," John Carlin, dug into the recesses of the Pistorius case and eventually uncovered a side of the "Blade Runner," which could bring clarity to his earlier claim about the case he was involved in; the author talked to people who knew Pistorius and could somehow explain the athletes' behavior that faithful night.
On Feb. 14, 2013, a shot was heard from the room of Oscar Pistorius where he was with his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius later admitted that he shot his girlfriend after he thought that an intruder had stepped in inside his room. The incident became one of the most sensational cases covered by media in South Africa and the world. The High Court in Pretoria declared Pistorius innocent of murder charges, but was charged with culpable homicide. He had been serving his prison term in the Pretorian prison Kgosi Mampuru.
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