Oscar Pistorius competing at the 2012 London Olympics. Photo: AFP
In 2012, South African athlete Oscar Pistorius made history as the first amputee sprinter to compete at the Olympic Games.
Six months later, on Valentine's Day 2013, he shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
In the new podcast False Idol, sports journalist Tim Rohan explores Pistorius' story in the context of hero-worship, gender-based violence and privilege.
Listen to Tim Rohan in conversation with Kim Hill
Photo: Supplied
On False Idol, people who knew Reeva, including her cousin Kim, speak of a "strong, confident country girl" who studied law at university, was a successful model and had just been cast in a reality show when she died, Tim says.
She was also starting to finding her voice as an activist. In law school, Reeva did her thesis on South African marriage law, he says, and according to Kim, when she met Oscar was passionate about speaking out against gender-based violence.
The podcast is called False Idol because Pistorious was such a celebrated figure in post-apartheid South Africa when he killed Reeva.
"Oscar came on to the scene in 2004 - that was the year of his first Paralympics. That was about ten years after the end of apartheid and South Africa is still recovering from this very violent, tense time in the country. And they're looking for a hero, a good story, something to root for."
South Africans saw themselves reflected in Pistorious, Tim says, bringing their country a lot of pride on the world stage.
Reeva Steenkamp Photo: Associated Press
Spots players behaviour should be held to a high standard because they are role models.
In Pistorious case' it's not just his personal life that is questionable, Tim says.
On False Idol, some paralympic sprinters and scientists claim Pistorious' carbon-fibre prosthetic legs gave him an unfair advantage.
"Oscar's blades were lighter than the lower part of the human leg, which allowed him to swing his blades faster."
Oscar Pistorius is currently in prison for the murder of Reeva Steenkamp. He is eligible for parole in 2023.