Double-amputee runner Oscar Pistorius' bid for Olympic gold in the men's 400 meters race ended Sunday after he followed up a bad start with a slow race to finish last in his semifinal heat.

The first amputee to compete in track at the Olympics never stood a chance and finished the race on his fiber carbon blades in 46.54 seconds, 1.95 seconds behind winner Kirani James of Grenada.

Still, world champion Kirani James immediately walked over to Pistorius after the race and asked for his name bib as a souvenir.

Pistorius, who runs on carbon-fiber blades, is still expected to run the 4x400 relays, which start Thursday. Last year, Pistorius and South Africa won the silver at the world championships.

On Saturday, Pistorius cruised past an opponent or two in the backstretch of a 400-meter heat, and by the end, the "Blade Runner" was coasting in for a stress-free success to reach the semifinal.

"I've worked for six years ... to get my chance," said the South African, who finished second. "I found myself smiling in the starting block. Which is very rare in the 400 meters."