More questions than answers arise from the case of Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee who got so good with his artificial limbs that the International Olympic Committee has banned him from the Olympics in Beijing:

• Never dreamed that we’d see the day that an amputee would be too good for the rest of us.
• Let’s hear it for all those burgeoning biomedical engineering programs at universities around the world. They’re proving their worth.
• Can we ever level the playing field so that all athletes can compete?
• The video seems to back up the findings of researchers who spent a couple days with Pistorius: that he uses 25 percent less energy than able-bodied runners. He faded to last in the first two-thirds of the race but came on strong in the last third when other runners pooped out and just missed winning.
• When he submitted to testing, doctors found that Pistorius could run at the same speed as able-bodied runners on about a quarter less energy. I wonder if Pistorius would be willing to use a pair of technologically inferior racing blades just to get the chance to run against the best in the world. If I really wanted to be the best, maybe I would.
• Best of luck in the Court for Arbitration in Sport, which could reverse the decision and allow him to compete.
• What would you do in his place: be happy racing in the Paralympics, fight the good fight through the courts or find a way to level the playing field to compete in Beijing? Or something else?
• Is this a new category of performance enhancement?
• And how do you account for Pistorius’ work ethic? Rumor has it that he’s a fiend.