Crushed

False Idol

Sports

Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee sprinter from South Africa, was once considered the greatest Paralympian of all time. Running on carbon-fiber legs, he racked up gold medals, broke world records, and became known simply as The Blade Runner. He inspired millions of people around the world, and was celebrated as a hero in his home country. In 2012, he made history as the first amputee sprinter to compete at the Olympic Games. Then, just six months later, he shot and killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. False Idol re-examines Pistorius’ rise and fall, telling the story through the eyes of the people whose lives he irrevocably changed along the way. Journalist Tim Rohan traces Pistorius’ path to infamy, deconstructs his heroic image, and remembers the life of Reeva Steenkamp, as he tries to understand how a tragedy like her death could have happened.