Upset: Brazil's Alan Oliveira (left) celebrates in front of South Africa's Oscar Pistorius (right) after claiming a shock victory in the 200m race'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius has said sorry for the timing of his controversial outburst about the running blades used by T44 200 metres gold medallist Alan Fonteles Oliveira in the aftermath of the South African athlete's shock loss.
Pistorius hit out at the International Paralympic Committee for failing to act over the length of some athletes' blades after Oliveira, wearing noticeably longer ones, came from way back Sunday night to pip him at the line.
Dispute: Alan Oliveira of Brazil (left) crosses the line ahead of pre-race favourite Oscar Pistorius of South Africa (right) to win gold in the Men's 200m - T44 final. Pistorius claimed his rival had an unfair advantageThe Brazilian took gold in 21.45 seconds, leaving Pistorius to settle for silver, coming home in 21.52 seconds with stunned quiet from the 80,000 spectators greeting the result.
Pistorius claimed afterward he was at a disadvantage because the carbon fibre prosthetic blades he uses to run are shorter than some of his competitors.
He complained that athletes with longer blades are 'coming from nowhere to run ridiculous times' because their stride lengths are greater.
Rivalry: Alan Oliveira finished seven hundredths of a second before the pre-race favourite, Oscar PistoriusImmediately after the race, Pistorius said the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) did not 'want to listen' to his concerns, adding: 'The guys' legs are unbelievably long.
'Not taking away from Alan's performance, he's a great athlete, but these guys are a lot taller and you can't compete [with the] stride length.
'You saw how far he came back. We aren't racing a fair race. I gave it my best.'
Close contest: Race winner Alan Oliveira (left) wore longer prosthetic blades than Oscar Pistorius (right), giving him a greater stride lengthThe athlete released a further statement today, apologising for the timing of his comments but reiterating his concerns.
He said: 'I would never want to detract from another athletes' moment of triumph and I want to apologise for the timing of my comments after yesterday's race.
'I do believe that there is an issue here and I welcome the opportunity to discuss with the IPC but I accept that raising these concerns immediately as I stepped off the track was wrong.
Disappointment: South Africa's Oscar Pistorius looks dejected after finishing second in the race'That was Alan's moment and I would like to put on record the respect I have for him.
'I am a proud Paralympian and believe in the fairness of sport. I am happy to work with the IPC who obviously share these aims."
Pistorius's qualifying effort had created a buzz when he set a new world record time of 21.30secs - a personal best which even he admitted had taken him by surprise.
Triumphant: Oliveira embarks on a victory lap after winning gold at the ParalympicsHe was born without the fibula - the bone running along the outside of the leg from below the knee joint and down to the ankle - in each of his legs.
His parents, Henk and Sheila, made the difficult decision to have his legs amputated below the knee.
Six months later he received his first pair of prosthetic legs and within days he had mastered them.
Handshake: Pistorius congratulated Alan Oliveira on his gold-winning performance, but claimed that athletes with longer blades had an unfair advantage
Head to head: Alan Oliveira's longer blades made him taller than Pistorius, which the South African said gave him an advantage in the racesource: dailymail
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