Oscar Pistorius - click-click-clicking in London

LONDON (AP) -- It began with a smile at the starting line.

Moments later, Oscar Pistorius took off and the click-click-clicking of carbon on the track was all but drowned out by the 80,000 fans on hand to watch him make history Saturday. 

The first amputee to compete in track at the Olympics, Pistorius cruised past an opponent or two in the backstretch of his 400-meter heat, and by the end, the "Blade Runner" was coasting in for a stress-free success.

Typical. Except this time, it was anything but that.

"I've worked for six years ... to get my chance," said the South African, who finished second and advanced to Sunday night's semifinals. "I found myself smiling in the starting block. Which is very rare in the 400 meters."

Yes, this sun-splashed day at Olympic Stadium was a good one for Pistorius, a double-amputee who runs on carbon-fiber blades and whose fight to get to this point has often felt more like a marathon than a sprint. He walked out of the tunnel, looked into the stands, saw his friends and family there - including his 89-year-old grandmother, who was carrying the South African flag.

"It's very difficult to separate the occasion from the race," Pistorius conceded.

But he figured it out. He finished in a season-best time of 45.44 seconds, crossing the line and looking up at the scoreboard, then covering his face with his hands when he saw the capital "Q'' - for qualifier - go up by his name.

Amazing Story of Respect .... by Elephants

Lawrence Anthony, a legend in South Africa and author of 3 books including the bestseller The Elephant Whisperer, bravely rescued wildlife and rehabilitated elephants all over the globe from human atrocities, including the courageous rescue of Baghdad Zoo animals during  US invasion in 2003. 

On March 7, 2012 Lawrence Anthony died.  He is remembered and missed by his wife, 2 sons, 2 grandsons & numerous elephants. Two days after his passing, the wild elephants showed up at his home led by two large matriarchs. Separate wild herds arrived in droves to say goodbye to their beloved man-friend.  A total of 20 elephants had patiently walked over 12 miles to get to his South African house. 

 

Witnessing this spectacle, humans were obviously in awe, not only because of the supreme intelligence and precise timing that these elephants sensed about Lawrence 's passing, but also because of the profound memory and emotion the beloved  animals evoked in such an organized way:   Walking slowly - for days - making their way in a solemn one-by-one queue from their habitat to his house.

Lawrence's wife, Francoise,  was especially touched, knowing that the elephants had not been to his house prior to that day for well over a year! But yet they knew where they were going. The elephants obviously wanted to pay  their deep respects, honoring  their friend who'd saved their lives so much respect that they stayed for 2 days 2 nights.  

Then one morning, they left, making their long journey back home.