Henke Pistorius, 59, said that his family had "zero doubt" that Mr Pistorius had shot Reeva Steenkamp dead mistakenly thinking she was intruder. 
 
 "When you are a sportsman, you act even more on instinct," he said. "It's instinct - things happen and that's what you do." 
 
 He said the entire Pistorius family was "heart and soul" behind the athlete and would do "whatever needs to be done" to help him clear his name. 
 
 His comments to The Sunday Telegraph followed the release by the family of a statement in which they described the 26-year-old athlete as "numb with shock as well as grief" over the events of the past three days. 
 
 They said that evidence gathered by the police themselves "strongly refutes" any possibility of the premeditated murder charge with which prosecutors have said they will charge the athlete. 
 
 They also insisted that Mr Pistorius, whose position as South Africa's golden boy was cemented when he won two gold medals and a silver at last year's London Paralympics, had no reason to harm Miss Steenkamp, 29, his girlfriend of four months. 
 
 "All of us saw at first hand how close she had become to Oscar during that time and how happy they were. They had plans together and Oscar was happier in his private life than he had been for a long time," they said. 
 
 Reeva Steenkamp in the reality show Tropika Island of Treasure 
 
 The family fightback came as reports emerged that Mr Pistorius fought to save Miss Steenkamp's life after allegedly shooting her four times through the bathroom door in the early hours of St Valentine's Day morning. 
 
 Security guards and neighbours who rushed to his exclusive home on a security compound outside Pretoria saw Mr Pistorius running down the stairs with the blonde model in his arms, according to a source quoted by the Afrikaans newspaper Beeld. 
 
 Miss Steenkamp was still breathing, it said, and Mr Pistorius tried desperately to save her using mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. 
 
 "Blood splatters along the route that Pistorius carried her was further proof that her heart was still beating," the paper added. 
 
 And a close friend of Mr Pistorius told on Saturday how the athlete called him moments after Miss Steenkamp was shot. 
 
 Justin Divaris told the Sunday People: "Oscar called me at 3.55am saying that Reeva had been shot. I said to him, 'What are you talking about? I don't understand you.' He then repeated himself - 'There has been a terrible accident, I shot Reeva. 
 
 "Next thing his neighbour picked up the phone and told me it was true and told me to get to Oscar's home. I was in total shock. I asked the neighbour, 'Is she OK?' Did the gun go off by accident?' She replied, 'No. She's not OK. You need to get here'." 
 
 Beeld also reported that Mr Pistorius, who kept a machine gun under his window for security as well as the 9mm pistol by his bed - with which he is believed to have shot Miss Steenkamp - had seven firearm licence applications pending, including one for a .223 semi-automatic rifle - the same calibre of combat weapon used in the Sandy Hook school massacre in the United States, in which 20 children and six teachers died. 
 
 Henke Pistorius reaches out to his son Oscar (AFP/Getty) 
 
 In the Tropika Island of Treasure programme, filmed in Jamaica and screened on South African television last night with the blessing of her family, Miss Steenkamp was seen alongside other bikini-clad contestants taking part in a hunt for treasure. The winner of the contest was to receive £73,000 in prize money. 
 
 In a series of scenes she was filmed studying a treasure map on the deck of a yacht, jumping into the sea from a cliff, and swimming with dolphins. 
 
 In a poignant interview, filmed just days before she died as she prepared to return home she spoke about the importance of leaving a positive mark in life. 
 
 Dressed in a strappy top and a yellow and black bikini, with her blonde hair scraped back, she said: "Not just your journey in life but the way that you go out and make your exit is so important. You have either made an impact in a positive way or a negative way." 
 
 Mr Pistorius had delivered a prescient message of his own just days earlier, retweeting to followers the comment: "Learn to appreciate what you have, before time makes you appreciate what you had" with the additional words: "True that." 
 
 On Friday, during his first court appearance since the incident on Thursday morning, he repeatedly burst into tears as prosecutors discussed how they would charge him with murdering his girlfriend. 
 
 Mr Pistorius faces a murder charge in Pretoria (Reuters) 
 
 Standing behind him, his father and brother were seen reaching out to clasp his shoulder and pat his back. Henke Pistorius told The Sunday Telegraph on Saturday that they were a close family and had no doubt of his innocence. 
 
 "I let him know that all of us are in heart and soul with him," he said. "That's why we were there and whatever needs to be done we will do." 
 
 He said he felt no need to question his son too closely about the exact events of that night. "He is going to have enough of that, enough advocates asking him things over and over," he said. "I can just imagine how absolutely emotional it must have been for him." 
 
 But there was "zero doubt" in his mind that he had acted in fear of an intruder, he added. "Without any doubt there was no purpose in it, it's not an issue for us," he said. "I have zero doubt (that he thought it was an intruder) - it's totally absurd to even suggest anything different. 
 
 "When you wake up in the middle of the night - and crime is so endemic in South Africa - what do you do if somebody is in the house? Do you think it's one of your family? Of course you don't," he said. The family were keen hunters, he said, and his son had grown up with guns. 
 
 Reading a statement before television cameras yesterday, Mr Pistorius' uncle Arnold and sister Aimee said the entire family was "in a state of total shock". 
 
 "Firstly about the tragic death of Reeva who we had all got to know well and care for deeply over the last few months," they said. "We are all grieving for Reeva, her family and her friends. Oscar - as you can imagine - is also numb with shock as well as grief." 
 
 They said that they were also struggling to come to terms with the murder charge Mr Pistorius now faces. "The lives of our entire family have been turned upside down forever by the unimaginable human tragedy," they said. 
 
 "After consulting with legal representatives, we deeply regret the allegation of premeditated murder. We have no doubt there is no substance to the allegation and that the State's case, including its own forensic evidence, strongly refutes any possibility of premeditated murder or indeed any murder at all." 
 
 Last week was not the first time however that Mr Pistorius has brushed with police. In 2009 he received a warning over an alleged assault on a 19-year-old girl at his home. Last year, he was accused of sending a text message to a man he believed was involved with his former girlfriend threatening to break his legs. 
 
 Mark Batchelor, a friend of the man who got involved in the row, alleged Mr Pistorius also telephoned and threatened him. 
 
 "He called me 'boy' and said he wanted to clear the air, saying he had heard I had a problem with him. I told him that he can't go around threatening people. He said he wasn't afraid of me and the phone cut," he told Johannesburg's Star newspaper. "The man I heard on the phone is a different man from the image given out there. He carries a gun everywhere and I have seen him be controlling to women." 
 
 Reeva Steenkamp's uncle Michael, who like most of her family lives in Port Elizabeth on the south coast, said they were ignoring such reports and focusing on the case ahead. Mr Pistorius, who is being held this weekend in a polic station cell, will return to Pretoria Central Magistrates Court on Tuesday for a bail application. 
 
 "We do not want to speculate what happened. We would rather pay attention to the criminal process will take its course now," Mr Steenkamp told Beeld. "We are a religious family. And if you believe in God, then you know justice will be in his hand." ||||| video transcript 
 
 As Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius awaits a bail hearing here in South Africa, his agent says fans across the world are rallying behind the athlete. On a visit to Pistorius on Sunday (February 17), agent Peet van Zyl said he was supporting the runner as a colleague and friend. SOUNDBITE: (English) PISTORIUS' AGENT PEET VAN ZYL, SAYING: "I can tell you that we have had overwhelming support from Oscar from a lot of fans on a global scale, really on a global scale. South African fans, international fans from literally all over the world." (Reporter: Have you passed that on to him?) "He knows it I have given him that message, yes." (Reporter: Did he have reaction to that?) "As I said to you I am not going to talk to you about his emotional state at this point in time." Pistorius is facing charges or murdering girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, who was found dead at the athlete's home last week. His family deny the charges and say Pistorius is numb with grief and shock. Steenkamp will be buried on Tuesday (February 17). ||||| The seed for Wide00014 was: 
 
 - Slash pages from every domain on the web: 
 
 
 
 
 
 -- a ranking of all URLs that have more than one incoming inter-domain link (rank was determined by number of incoming links using Wide00012 inter domain links) 
 
 
 
 -- up to a maximum of 100 most highly ranked URLs per domain 
 
 - Top ranked pages (up to a max of 100) from every linked-to domain using the Wide00012 inter-domain navigational link graph ||||| Oscar Pistorius' agent has canceled all future track races so the double-amputee Olympian can focus on the murder charge against him, underscoring the possibility the disabled sports icon might never again run competitively on his famous carbon fiber blades. 
 
 Kenny Oldwage, lawyer for Oscar Pistorius, foreground, and Carl Pistorius, brother of Oscar Pistorius arrive at the Brooklyn police station in Pretoria, South Africa, Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013. Oscar Pistorius... (Associated Press) 
 
 Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius leaves the Boschkop police station, east of Pretoria, South Africa, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013 en route to appear in court charged with murder. Pistorius was charged Thursday... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - In this Aug. 5, 2012 file photo, South Africa's Oscar Pistorius starts in the men's 400-meter semifinal during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Paralympic... (Associated Press) 
 
 Peet van Zyl, managing agent for Olympian athlete Oscar Pistorius, talks to the press outside the Brooklyn police station in Pretoria, South Africa, Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013, after visiting Pistorius. Oscar... (Associated Press) 
 
 Aimee Pistorius outside the Brooklyn police station in Pretoria, South Africa, Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013, after visiting her brother Oscar Pistorius. Oscar Pistorius faces a bail hearing Tuesday and Wednesday,... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - This is a Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012 file photo of South Africa's Oscar Pistorius as he reacts after finishing first in a men's 400-meter heat during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012... (Associated Press) 
 
 Arnold Pistorius, right, uncle of Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius, comforts his niece after making a statement to selected press in Pretoria, South Africa, Feb. 16, 2013. Pistorius said that Oscar is... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this frame-grab from state television channel SABC 1 a tribute is devoted to slain model Reeva Steenkamp, girlfriend of Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius. South Africa’s national broadcaster went ahead... (Associated Press) 
 
 Pistorius is defending himself against allegations he murdered his model girlfriend by shooting her several times in his upscale house on Valentine's Day morning. 
 
 Reeva Steenkamp died from gunshot wounds suffered inside Pistorius' home in the predawn hours of Thursday. Pistorius was arrested and charged with her murder the same day. His family denies he murdered her. 
 
 "I have decided that following these tragic events that we have no option but to cancel all future races that Oscar Pistorius had been contracted to compete in," agent Peet van Zyl said in a written statement late Sunday night. 
 
 A few hours earlier, Van Zyl had visited his athlete at a police station in the South African capital, Pretoria, where he is being held in custody in a red-bricked, one-story building with green metal fencing. 
 
 Pistorius has been there since Friday following the shocking developments at his villa in a gated community in Pretoria's eastern suburbs where Steenkamp was shot dead. 
 
 Her death and Pistorius' arrest stunned South Africans, who revered Pistorius for his humble nature and success at overcoming adversity to become an international star, despite having his lower legs amputated as a baby. 
 
 Pistorius still had "overwhelming support" from his fans, Van Zyl said as he left Brooklyn police station, but the agent steered away from a question from a reporter on what Pistorius' emotional state was now like following the death of his girlfriend and a possible realization that his entire career was in ruins. 
 
 Pistorius' sponsors _ including big-name brands Nike and eyewear manufacturer Oakley _ were also sticking by him, Van Zyl said. But that could depend on the outcome of a possibly lengthy murder trial. 
 
 "Regarding sponsors and partners, I can confirm that at this point in time, all parties are supportive and their contractual commitments are maintained," Van Zyl's In Site Athlete Management company said. "They have said they are happy to let the legal process takes its course before making any change in their position." 
 
 The Beaverton, Ore-based Nike Inc. and Foothill Ranch, Calif.-based Oakley Inc. did not immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press seeking comment. 
 
 Pistorius was quickly arrested and charged with murder Thursday, with prosecutors saying at his first court appearance a day later that they would pursue a more serious premeditated murder charge, which carries a life sentence. 
 
 Pistorius broke down and wept in the court, with his face in his hands. His family later denied he murdered Steenkamp and said the state's own evidence "strongly refutes" any possibility of a murder. 
 
 "I am not going to comment on anything except that (what) is related to his athletics career at this point in time," Van Zyl told reporters outside the police station after being asked how Pistorius was coping. "Obviously from a management side and also as a friend, it's a tragic circumstance and events that have unfolded and we can only give Oscar our support at this point in time." 
 
 Family members and his lawyers also visited Pistorius on Sunday, but declined comment both when they arrived and when they left the city center police station. 
 
 The family of Steenkamp, a model, law graduate and budding reality TV star, told The Associated Press that her body had been released by police after an autopsy and was back in their hometown of Port Elizabeth on South Africa's southern coast. 
 
 "Reeva is back home," the late model's brother, Adam Steenkamp, told the AP by phone. He had flown back from Britain, where he now lives, to be with the family. 
 
 They also said Steenkamp's funeral would be held Tuesday and would be a private ceremony for family at a local crematorium. Media would not be allowed in. 
 
 The main purpose for Van Zyl's visit to Brooklyn police station Sunday afternoon was to discuss Pistorius' running career, but "also to visit him as a friend and give him my moral support," the agent said. "On a personal level I wanted to offer my support to Oscar, who I have known and worked with for the last seven years and consider a friend and a great professional athlete." 
 
 Following the meeting, Van Zyl announced publicly that the five races that Pistorius had confirmed for in 2013 were canceled: two in Australia in March, exhibition races against fellow Paralympic champions Alan Oliveira of Brazil and Jonnie Peacock of Britain, and an appearance at the U.S. Drake Relays in Iowa. 
 
 Van Zyl's decision to cancel those races was first reported by the AP on Saturday. All others that were still in negotiation were also now called off, Van Zyl said on Sunday. 
 
 The high-profile rematch with Oliveira, who beat Pistorius in the 200 meters at the London Paralympics last year, was to be a straight line 200 race on Copacabana beach to promote the 2016 Rio Olympics and Paralympics. 
 
 The runner's main goal for 2013 was to qualify for the worlds in Moscow in August, which is now almost certainly not going to happen. 
 
 Pistorius was the first amputee athlete to run at the world championships in 2011, then made history when he competed at last year's Olympics in London. 
 
 He and his coach have both said that they aimed to retire from track after the Rio Games, but one of the world's most famous athletes, who fought for years to be allowed to run against able-bodied competitors, is now facing the possibility he will never go to any major meet again. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Follow Gerald Imray at http://twitter.com/GeraldImrayAP ||||| The best friend of Oscar Pistorius told yesterday how the Paralympic hero called him moments after his girlfriend was shot and later sobbed: “My baba, I’ve killed my baba. God take me away.” 
 
 Businessman Justin Divaris, who introduced model Reeva Steenkamp to the London 2012 double gold winner, said Pistorius phoned him first instead of emergency services, the Sunday People can report. 
 
 Speaking exclusively to the Sunday People, Justin, 27, said: “It’s all very sad. Oscar called me at 3.55 am saying that Reeva had been shot. 
 
 “I said to him, ‘What are you talking about? I don’t understand you?’ He then repeated himself – ‘There has been a terrible accident, I shot Reeva’. 
 
 “Next thing his neighbour picked up the phone and told me it was true and told me to get to Oscar’s home. 
 
 “I was in total shock. I asked the neighbour, ‘Is she OK?’ Did the gun go off by accident?’ She replied, ‘No. She’s not OK. You need to get here’.” 
 
 Justin and his girlfriend Sam dashed to 26-year-old Pistorius’s luxury home on the security-patrolled Silver Woods estate in Pretoria, South Africa, in the early hours of Valentine’s Day. 
 
 The police had already arrived and were holding the double amputee superstar – nicknamed Blade Runner because of his state-of-the-art artificial limbs – in his garage. 
 
 Justin, chief executive of luxury car sales firm Daytona Group, said: “It was very traumatic. By the time we got there it was already a crime scene and we weren’t allowed in the house. 
 
 Twitter Pals: Reeva pictured with Pistorius's friends Justin (C) and Francois Hougaard Rex Tragic: Oscar Pistorius with girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp 
 
 “But we could see Reeva through the door lying there covered in blankets and towels at the bottom of the stairs. 
 
 “I think Oscar planned to take her to the hospital but the neighbour had covered her in towels. 
 
 “Oscar was being detained in the garage but they allowed me access to speak to him. 
 
 “He was totally incoherent and just kept saying, ‘My baba, I’ve killed my baba. God take me away’. He must have been sobbing there for a whole hour. 
 
 “I was with him for 10 minutes and asked him exactly what had happened but he couldn’t answer and just kept repeating the same thing.” 
 
 Justin added: “It is so sad. I introduced Reeva to Oscar. She was a really good friend of mine too and actually had been a friend longer. She is a best friend of my girlfriend. 
 
 “I don’t understand exactly what happened but the truth will come out.” 
 
 Reeva, who had been dating Pistorius since November and is said to have complained he was becoming possessive, had arrived at his house at 7pm. 
 
 Several hours before the shooting, wealthy neighbours complained to the estate’s security guards about loud noise coming from the house and asked them to stop it. 
 
 Reeva, 29, is believed to have been sitting on a toilet when she was hit four times – in the arm, head, hip and finger – by three bullets fired through the bathroom door. 
 
 REUTERS Sobs: Pistorius weeps uncontrollably in court AFP/Getty Images Dazed: The distraught Paralympian is led away from court 
 
 It is believed she was still alive as Oscar carried her downstairs and ­ tried to revive her. 
 
 Blood stains were found on the walls, indicating her heart was pumping. 
 
 It is claimed Oscar was still holding Reeva in his arms and performing mouth-to-mouth when paramedics arrived. 
 
 Neighbours said they heard her last breaths before she was pronounced dead by the paramedics. 
 
 Forensic officers have removed the bathroom door as evidence. 
 
 Reeva’s parents June and Barry were being treated for shock by doctors at their home in Port Elizabeth. 
 
 Justin’s girlfriend Sam, who runs a catering company with June, said: “I’m trying to focus on keeping them calm at the moment but they have taken it very, very badly. 
 
 “Barry is in bed and we’ve got some tablets from the doctor. It’s been a terrible, terrible shock. 
 
 “The detective said she was shot at close range and it wasn’t a burglary.” 
 
 Reeva was voted one of the top 100 sexiest women in South Africa. 
 
 She graduated with a law degree but made a career change after being scouted by model agents and became the first face of cosmetics giant Avon South Africa. 
 
 She moved from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg and appeared on the cover of FHM magazine. 
 
 Reeva, a keen horse rider, broke her back in an horrific fall six years ago, suffering injuries so severe that she had to learn to walk again. 
 
 Last night an episode of South African reality TV series Tropika Island Of Treasure, in which Reeva starred, went ahead as planned. 
 
 A pal said Pistorius had become increasingly possessive in recent weeks. 
 
 The friend said: “Reeva mentioned that Oscar was quite possessive and insecure. 
 
 “When she was at events he’d call her incessantly. I think she was starting to get annoyed with it. 
 
 “She had planned to go home that night but had sent a message to one of her housemates to say she was staying with Oscar. 
 
 REUTERS Crime scene: Pistorius's home in Pretoria 
 
 “That was the last time anyone had heard from her. I’m devastated I will never see her again. 
 
 “She was such a kind and beautiful person, both inside and out. 
 
 “Her parents won’t be able to cope without her. She was going to build them a house and take them on holiday. 
 
 “It is so tragic. It is a loss to everyone who knew her.” 
 
 Pistorius, who was born without fibula in both legs and was amputated below the knee at 11 months, sobbed when he appeared in court on Friday. 
 
 He is accused of premeditated murder, which carries an automatic life sentence. 
 
 The runner, who became the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics where he reached the 400-metre semi-finals at London 2012, will reappear in court on Tuesday. 
 
 A court official said he was being held in a police station instead of jail because of his fame, not his disability.
– With an eye toward 'roid rage, police had Oscar Pistorius' blood tested for steroids, and a "source close to the investigation" tells the Sun that police did find performance enhancers in their search of his house. "Steroid drugs were found at Pistorius’ home together with evidence of heavy drinking. That’s why police have specifically ordered that he be tested for steroids," says the source. What might have gotten him so angry? The Sun reports that Reeva Steenkamp's phone records indicate she may have gotten a text from rugby star Francois Hougaard that night. Sources say Pistorius was unhappy with Steenkamp's friendship with Hougaard. Pistorius' running days are over for now even if he is granted bail. "I have decided that following these tragic events that we have no option but to cancel all future races that Oscar Pistorius had been contracted to compete in," his agent said after a visit to his client, who is being held in a police station, the AP reports. The Olympic and Paralympic star still has "overwhelming support" from his fans, says his agent, whose company has confirmed that big sponsors including Nike are sticking by Pistorius and "are happy to let the legal process takes its course before making any change in their position." He declined to discuss Pistorius' emotional state, Reuters reports. Pistorius' best friend—who introduced him to Steenkamp—says the runner called him minutes after the shooting, before contacting emergency services, the Mirror reports. Pistorius said, "My baba, I’ve killed my baba. God take me away," says Justin Davaris. Asked to explain, Pistorius said, "There has been a terrible accident, I shot Reeva," Davaris says. Amid reports that a bloodied cricket bat is now a key part of the case, the runner's family say they have "zero doubt" that Pistorius shot his girlfriend by accident after mistaking her for an intruder. "When you are a sportsman, you act even more on instinct," his father tells the Telegraph. "It's instinct—things happen and that's what you do."