Pistorius' uncle, Arnold Pistorius, said they were also grieving for Steenkamp, her family and her friends.

Van Zyl said he had first cancelled two races in Australia, in Sydney on March 9 and Perth on March 16, which were to start Pistorius' season as he aimed to qualify for the world championships in Moscow in August and build on his historic runs on his carbon-fiber blades at the London Olympics. A 150-meter race in May against Britain's Jonnie Peacock, the single-amputee sprinter and 100-meter Paralympic champion, also had to be called off, as well as scheduled Diamond League appearances and a race at the Drake Relays in Iowa in the United States. Pistorius and his longtime coach Ampie Louw planned to give up track together after the next Olympics and Paralympics in Rio but it was uncertain if Pistorius will ever compete at the highest level again, having made history as the first amputee athlete to run at the able-bodied worlds in 2011 and then the Olympics last year. In all, Van Zyl said he had canceled around seven 400-meter races, as well as the exhibitions against Oliveira and Peacock. AP SSC SSC 02171004 NNNN