Oscar Pistorius' bid to become the first amputee sprinter to compete at an Olympic Games is in jeopardy after he failed to secure the 400 metre qualifying time.
The South African double-amputee clocked a time of 46.32 seconds - short of the required 45.3secs - as he finished second in his heat at the African Athletics Championships in Benin.
Pistorius, who runs with carbon fibre prosthetic running blades after being born without a fibula in both legs, needs to run the 'A' standard one more time after achieving the mark in March.
The 25-year-old only has until Saturday to secure his Olympic spot after which South Africa athletes can no longer qualify.
Pistorius will have at most two chances before then, with his semi-final to be run on Thursday before a potential final.
Pistorius qualified for last year's World Championships in Daegu, where he reached the 400m semi-finals.
He also became the first amputee to win a world championship medal after he took silver with South Africa's 4x400m relay team - an event he could yet be named in for the Olympics.
Pistorius has already been selected in South Africa's Paralympic team in London, where he will aim to defend his T44 100, 200 and 400m titles.
