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Pretoria, South Africa • Oscar Pistorius was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, completing a transformation from an acclaimed sprinter at the 2012 Olympics to a convicted criminal led away in a police van with barred windows.
The double-amputee athlete was subdued when Judge Thokozile Masipa announced the punishment, ending a televised trial that was closely followed at home and abroad.
The man known as the "Blade Runner" because of his carbon-fiber running blades will have to serve 10 months, or one-sixth of his sentence, in prison before he is eligible to be moved to house arrest, legal analysts say.
Even if he leaves prison early, his running career is in doubt. Pistorius, 27, who has won six Paralympic gold medals, will be ineligible to compete in those events during the entirety of his five-year prison sentence, the International Paralympic Committee said. Pistorius still could challenge that decision.
The sight of Pistorius racing around the track on his blades was one of the enduring and inspirational images of the London Olympics. Born without fibula bones due to a congenital defect, he had his legs amputated at 11 months old but grew up playing sports with prosthetics.
Pistorius won his first gold medal at the 2004 Paralympics but was banned from competing against able-bodied athletes because it was argued that his blades gave him an unfair advantage. He successfully appealed that ban and qualified for the London Olympics.
Although he did not win an Olympic medal, Pistorius was cheered for his achievement, and he reveled in his appearance. Even though he finished last in a semifinal heat of the 400 meters, he said: "To step out in front of a crowd this massive, it's a mind-blowing experience. I've had support in the last couple of days like I have never felt before."
In reaching the verdict against Pistorius last month, Masipa accepted his account that he accidentally shot Steenkamp, 29, a model and television personality, through a closed bathroom door in his home after mistaking her for an intruder on Valentine's Day 2013.
Pistorius also received a three-year, suspended jail term for negligent handling of a firearm in a separate case; he discharged a gun in a crowded restaurant in January 2013, shortly before he killed Steenkamp.
Still in his suit, Pistorius left the courthouse in a police van with caged windows. A crowd gathered around, with some whistling, shouting and banging on the sides of the vehicle. He later arrived at the nearby Kgosi Mampuru II prison, which has had problems with violence and overcrowding. Authorities said Pistorius would be held away from the general prison population because of his disability and high profile.
Prosecutors had requested a 10-year prison sentence for Pistorius. They said they were considering whether to appeal the sentence. The defense had argued for house arrest.