1986
Oscar Pistorius is born without a fibula bone in either of his lower legs, which were both amputated below the knee when he was 11-months-old. Six months later he learned to walk on fibreglass pegs.
2003
Pistorius starts sprint training to help rehabilitate his knee after he injured it playing rugby.
2004
The athlete wins his first Paralympic gold as he races to victory in the Athens 200m. He also claimed a bronze medal in the 100m.
Oscar Pistorius starts in the men’s semi-finals of the 400m in London at the 2012 Olympics
2008
Pistorius wins three golds in Beijing – for the 100, 200 and 400m, setting a world record.
In the same year he is banned from able-bodied competitions as the IAAF Council say his prosthetics give him an unfair advantage.
2012
Becomes first double amputee to compete at Olympics, reaching the semi-finals. In the 4×400 relay his team reaches the finals but does not pick up any medals.
In the same year he goes on to win two golds in the Paralympics.
2013
February 14 – Pistorius arrested at his home in Pretoria after shooting dead girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
February 15 – Pistorius appears before the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court where he bursts into tears as prosecutors announce they intend to pursue a charge of premeditated murder.
Pistorius bursts into tears as he is charged, denying murder ‘in the strongest terms’.
February 19 – Reeva Steenkamp’s funeral is held in Port Elizabeth. Pistorius appears in court for the first day of his bail hearing. Prosecutor Gerrie Nel says Pistorius fired four shots through a bathroom door, hitting Steenkamp three times. His defence reads a statement by Pistorius in which he says he thought Steenkamp was an intruder.
Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp arrive for an awards ceremony in Johannesburg, South Africa
February 21: Global sportswear manufacturer Nike suspends its sponsorship contract with the athlete.
August 19 – The day on which Steenkamp would have turned 30, Pistorius appears in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court before magistrate Desmond Nair to have the state’s indictment served on him.
He is charged with premeditated murder and possession of unlicensed ammunition. The state publishes its list of 107 possible witnesses.
2014
February 14 – On the anniversary of Steenkamp’s death, Pistorius posts a tribute to her on his official website, saying: ‘No words can adequately capture my feelings about the devastating accident that has caused such heartache for everyone who truly loved – and continues to love Reeva.’
March 3 – Oscar Pistorius pleads not guilty in court to murder and three gun charges.
Later, neighbour Michelle Burger, the first witness called by the prosecution, tells the court she heard ‘blood-curdling’ screams before the sound of four gunshots on the night the Olympian killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.
March 10 – Pistorius vomits repeatedly in the dock as he hears graphic details of the injuries sustained by the girlfriend he fatally shot.
April 8 – Pistorius breaks down in tears and howls while describing how he shot girlfriend Ms Steenkamp, forcing the court to adjourn.
April 9 – Giving evidence for a third day, Pistorius tells how his girlfriend ‘died while I was holding her’, describing how he put his fingers in her mouth to try to help her breathe and put his hand on her hip to try to stop bleeding from one of several gunshot wounds.
June 30 – After a month-long break, the murder trial resumes when mental health experts state Pistorius was not suffering from a mental illness when he killed girlfriend Ms Steenkamp.
Pistorius covers his eyes as the father of his late girlfriend testifies at the Pretoria High Court on June 14, 2016
September 12 – Pistorius found GUILTY of culpable homicide of Steenkamp. Also found guilty on one firearm charge of firing a gun in a restaurant.
October 21 – Pistorius sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison, with a three-year suspended term for firearms offences.
2015
March 13 – Bid to block prosecutors from appealing verdict in favour of murder conviction blocked
October 20 – Pistorius is allowed out of prison after just one year to spend the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
December 3 – The Supreme Court of Appeal convicts him of murder, saying his testimony was ‘vacillating and untruthful’.
December 8 – Pistorius is released on bail pending sentencing, and remains under house arrest.
2016
March 2 – Pistorius, now 29, loses his final bid to appeal his murder conviction.
July 6 – He is sentenced to six years in jail for murder.
August 14 – South African media reports say Pistorius is put on 24-hour suicide watch.
Pistorius leaves the high court in Pretoria, South Africa in 2016
September 15 – Prosecutors say they will petition the Supreme Court of Appeal for a tougher sentence for Pistorius, having described the six-year term as ‘shockingly lenient’.
November 14 – Prison authorities say Pistorius has been transferred to a prison adapted for disabled inmates just outside Pretoria to serve the rest of his sentence.
2017
November 3 – The appeal court adjourns to consider its ruling after prosecutors argue that Pistorius’s jail term is too short, while defence lawyers say the judge handed down a fair sentence.
November 24 – The Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein more than doubles Pistorius’s sentence of six years to 13 years and five months.
2018
March 28 – South Africa’s highest court rejects Pistorius’s leave to appeal, ending the long legal battle over the killing.
2021
November 29 – Prison services say Pistorius has been temporarily moved to a detention facility in the southern city of Gqeberha, formerly Port Elizabeth, as part of his parole process, having become eligible for early release a few months earlier, after serving half his sentence.
2022
July 1 – Prison services say Pistorius has met with Steenkamp’s parents as part of his rehabilitation process.
2023
March 31 – Pistorius is denied parole, with a South African judge ruling he has only served six years – less than the ‘minimum detention period’ required to qualify for early release.
November 24 – Pistorius’ second bid for freedom is successful, as he’s told he can leave prison in early January 2024.
