Pistorius resumes training as ‘low-key routine’

PanARMENIAN.Net - South African athlete Oscar Pistorius has resumed training, weeks before he is due back in court over the killing of his girlfriend, BBC News reported.

His family has released footage showing the Olympic runner jogging on a track. A statement on his website said the "low-key routine" was not "a formal return to athletics", but a way of helping him "process his trauma".

Pistorius denies murdering Reeva Steenkamp, saying he shot her after mistaking her for an intruder. His next hearing is scheduled for August.

Pistorius, 26, is a double amputee who won gold at the London 2012 Paralympic Games and also competed at the Olympics.

The statement on his website said that his focus "remains entirely on the court case".

"Oscar is not contemplating a formal return to athletics and his training is not aimed at preparing for competition," the statement read. "His family, and those close to him, have encouraged him to spend a few hours a week on the track to assist him in finding the necessary mental and emotional equilibrium to process his trauma and prepare for the trial."

Pistorius's arrest in February stunned many South Africans who saw him as a national sporting hero after his long legal battle to compete in the Olympics.

The athlete shot his 29-year-old girlfriend through the bathroom door of his house in Pretoria on February 14.

The prosecution has accused him of premeditated murder, alleging that he killed Steenkamp intentionally after a fight.

Pistorius was freed on a bail of 1 million rand ($110,000). A court in March eased his travel restrictions, allowing him to leave South Africa to compete as long as he complied with certain conditions.