JOHANNESBURG (AP) – Oscar Pistorius was treated for minor wrist injuries at a hospital and has been returned to a South African jail where the Olympian is serving a six-year sentence for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, prison officials said Sunday.
The report of injuries to Pistorius, who denied he had attempted suicide, came as athletes compete at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Pistorius, known as “Blade Runner” for his carbon-fiber running blades, gained worldwide fame when he ran against able-bodied athletes at the 2012 London Olympics, the first amputee runner to compete at the games.
Pistorius told officials that he suffered the injuries after falling out of bed, said Singabakho Nxumalo, a spokesman for the South Africa’s correctional services department.
The former track star was initially treated by medical staff at the Kgosi Mampuru II prison in Pretoria, and then transferred to Kalafong hospital, said Manelisi Wolela, another official at the department. Pistorius was returned to his cell on Saturday, and an investigation is underway.
“Oscar Pistorius denied speculations of a suicide attempt,” Wolela said in a text message to media.
“As a policy principle, we cannot further discuss a particular offender’s personal condition in the public domain,” he said.
Pistorius’ family declined to comment, referring inquiries to the correctional services department.
Last month, South African prosecutors said they would appeal Pistorius’ six-year jail sentence, saying it was too lenient. The double-amputee athlete, who was sentenced on July 6, could be released on parole after three years. The prescribed minimum sentence for murder in South Africa is 15 years, though a judge can reduce that penalty in some circumstances.
Pistorius also previously served one year in prison for manslaughter for shooting 29-year-old Steenkamp, a model and reality TV star. That manslaughter conviction was upgraded to the more serious offense of murder after an earlier prosecution appeal, leading to a new sentencing.
Pistorius shot Steenkamp multiple times through a toilet cubicle door in his home in the pre-dawn hours of Valentine’s Day, 2013. Pistorius testified that he killed Steenkamp by mistake, thinking there was an intruder hiding in the bathroom. Prosecutors said he shot her intentionally after an argument.
Pistorius and his longtime coach, Ampie Louw, said before Steenkamp’s killing that they wanted to retire together at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
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