Prefontaine Classic 2013 (Eugene Diamond League)

First Prefontaine Classic without Pistorius since 2010

May 31, 2013 by Christopher Chavez

At the end of the 400-meter semifinals in London, Oscar Pistorius and Kirani James of Granada exchanged bibs in one of the most memorable moments of the Summer Olympic Games. James went on to win the gold medal with his time of 43.94, which set a national record and a 2012 world best. Pistorius ended his summer with two gold medals at the Paralympic Games.

Pistorius competed in the 400-meter dash at the last two editions of the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ore. One year later, things are different for both athletes.

James prepares to break Michael Johnson's facilities record of 43.74 at Hayward Field, after opening his season with a 44.02 in Shanghai. Pistorius has put any plans of racing on hold until 2014.

Those plans all changed on February 14, when Pistorius was arrested and charged with the murder of 29-year-old model Reeva Steenkamp. He claims his girlfriend's death was an accident as he mistook her for a home intruder in the middle of the night.

He was granted bail on February 25 and in late March was given permission to leave South Africa for competitions. On May 20, the decision was made by Pistorius to not compete in 2013 saying he is not mentally ready to return to action.

In an exclusive report by CNN, Pistorius is living with his uncle in Pretoria, within a room surrounded by photos of Steenkamp. He grew a beard to avoid being recognized when he leaves his home on rare occassions.

On April 4, Pistorius was photographed on the track at a local university's facilities. His agent called it a "jog" and his uncle denied any training regiment taking place.

A trial date has not been set, but it would not be unlikely to see Pistorius in court more often than on the track in 2014

The 400-meter dash at the Prefontaine Classic is scheduled for 3:49 p.m. (Central Time) and will include all three Olympic medalists in addition to United States stars LaShawn Merrit and Tony McQuay.

Chris Chavez is a staff writer for Flotrack and a journalism major at Marquette University. He once beat Joey Fatone of NSYNC in a half-marathon. Feel free to to reach him with any questions, comments, or feedback on Twitter or by email.