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Abstract
Technology has helped shape his success. "[It] has allowed me not to run faster, but not have to work so hard. Athletic ability and tenacity of the human spirit will always drive technology", observes [Marlon Shirley]. Thanks to his own input, he wears a prosthesis for sprinting that is a world away from the cumbersome mass any amputee would wear to go shopping. Despite his overwhelming success, Shirley believes that there is life after sport and besides it and, when he retires from running, he hopes to become a designer of high-performance prosthetics. "For me, [running has] been a means to an end. If it were taken away from me tomorrow, I could live without it", he insists. However, it has been a "foundation for my life and what I hope to become someday. Much like a carpenter has his tools, track is my tool to make something great." He wanted to be a fighter pilot, but that changed after his accident. He has, however, held a pilot's licence for 6 years, and is working towards a degree in aeronautical engineering: "I've got a PhD in track and field. Now I'd just like a degree in something else."