Perhaps the biggest story of the games this year had nothing to do with winning a medal. It had everything to do with one man competing against all the odds, against the wills of the world. The man making all the headlines at the games this year was Oscar Pistorius.

Like I said, Pistorius did not win an Olympic medal. In fact, he didn’t even compete in the finals. At first glance, the journey of this amazing runner from South Africa ended when he crossed the finish line in his semifinal heat last. But, this isn’t about a normal man or a normal runner.

To this point, I have failed to mention the most important detail of his story. Pistorius is a paraplegic. Born without legs, Pistorius never felt himself disadvantaged, just different. Maybe that’s why he could compete with the best athletes in the world at the Olympics. He didn’t care that he was the only one without legs; an important component to running. He didn’t care that he wasn’t supposed to be there, or that he wasn’t supposed to be able to compete on the same level as able bodied individuals.

Not only did Pistorius defy the odds in just being in London, he defied the critics once he got there. Oscar was criticized by many pundits who believed his legs gave him a competitive advantage. How they could assert this I don’t know, two stocks of carbon fiber could never compare to the beautiful assimilation of bone and muscle that make up the lower legs. But they did. And Pistorius, like he always was, didn’t listen, and went on his way.

Pistorius represented his country, and he did it against the odds. Now an international symbol of overcoming adversity, Pistorius ran himself into the history of the Olympics and into the hearts of viewers everywhere; all before he took a single step.