Former Paralympic champion breaks down the use of prosthetic blades in para athletics for long jump and sprinting

Is there an undue advantage?

However, 2012 London Paralympics champion sprinter and an amputee athlete himself, Heinrich Popow explains why having a prosthetic leg for long jump or sprint is not an advantage. “I see there is always a debate about how the blade gives an undue advantage but I think it is not comparable at all. I don’t think losing a leg is advantageous in any way. The able-bodied jumping is about the usage of the kinetic energy while the blade jumping is about the usage of the bending energy,” Popow told The Indian Express. “Pole Vault can be comparable for both able-bodied and para athletes but not long jump.”

He also explained that the variables involved in jumping with a blade make it tough for the para-athletes. “The socket of the blade is attached to the human skin and the residual portion of the amputation, which is very painful. There are a lot more variables than in able-bodied jumping, making it disadvantageous. So, I don’t think there is any comparison that should exist,” said Popow.

Key difference in sprinting with blades

Now tainted, sprinter Oscar Pistorius had once captured the imagination while running with two blades and was given the moniker ‘blade runner’. Compared to able-bodied sprinting, there are some fundamental differences between how the sprinters start.

“When the able-bodied sprinters and blade sprinters run, the speed towards the finish line is more or less similar but it is the start that is completely different. The able-bodied athletes can push off from the start block, but we have to come from zero energy,” explained Popow. “So, if I have to explain it in simpler terms, blade runners don’t get any energy back from the starting blocks as there are no tendons and no muscles, while the able-bodied athletes can push off from the start.”

How have prosthetic blades evolved in Para Athletics?

J-shaped carbon-fibre prosthetic, popularly known as blade, is one of the most commonly seen equipment in the world of para sports. Amputee athletes use prosthetics in events such as sprinting and jumping.

The running blades have evolved from rudimentary wooden prosthetics to the modern-day carbon fibre. “Earlier, the prosthetic limbs for amputees were primarily focused on basic mobility. They were often made from wood or leather,” Popow said. “After leather came the metals and eventually the flex-foo,t which came into existence in 1984.”

The introduction of Flex-foot Cheetah by Van Phillips, a biomedical engineer who was an amputee too, changed the game. It was lightweight and used carbon fibre in a distinctive J-shape, enabling it to function as a spring by absorbing and releasing energy with each stride – critical functions for sprinting and jumping.

Post the introduction of Flex-foot and other products, there hasn’t been much development in terms of design, as every prosthetic has to follow the specifications of the World Para Athletics. “You will be shocked to know that there hasn’t been much development after the 1990s as double amputee Johannes Floors, who holds the 100m, 200m and 400m world records in T62 category, broke it with the same prosthetics which were developed during the 90s,” explained Popow.

The current blades used during the Paralympics and any event affiliated with World Para Athletics are set up according to the specifications set by the world body, and it has to be in use for nine months before the tournament. “No athlete can use blades customized for them immediately. The blades had to be in use for nine months at least as per WPA,” said Popow, who has transitioned into the equipment expert position with German company Ottobock.

How to deal with wear and tear?

By the simplest of definitions, blades are also machines, which means there will be wear and tear. “Honestly, the wear and tear of blades is a little complicated as you have a human being attached to a machine. The socket of the blade is where it is attached with the skin. In hot and humid conditions, when the athletes lose some weight, the blade can get loose. That is where the athletes use a thick silicon liner to keep it together,” Popow said.

Since the blade is made of carbon fibre, it needs to be changed if there are any issues with the machine. “If you repair carbon fibre, it will break. So, I suggest the elite athletes change their machines once a year,” said Popow.