Fallen idols

Charges against Pistorius	Verdict	Sentence
Premeditated murder	Not guilty
Common-law murder	Not guilty
Culpable homicide (manslaughter)	Guilty	5 years
(1) Discharging a firearm in public (2) Discharging a firearm in public	Not guilty Guilty	3 years suspended (runs concurrently)
Illegal possession of ammunition	Not guilty

OSCAR PISTORIUS faces the prospect of up to 15 years in jail after being found guilty of the manslaughter of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year.

Judge Thokozile Masipa ruled Pistorius acted "negligently" when he fired four shots through a locked toilet door believing an intruder was in his house.

But the judge also decided the prosecution had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that he had intended to kill Ms Steenkamp.

On the other charges, Pistorius was found guilty of discharging a firearm in public when he fired a gun at a Johannesburg restaurant.

However, he was found not guilty on another count of the same offence, and was also found not guilty of illegal possession of ammunition.

The prosecution, led by Gerrie Nel, expressed disappointment that Pistorius was not convicted of murder but said it would wait until after sentencing to decide whether to appeal.

Sentencing will take place on 13 October after Judge Masipa adjourned the High Court in Pretoria having granted Pistorius bail.

Pistorius thus avoided the worst possible outcome - but it would be foolish to think this conviction leaves anything other than an indelible stain on his character.

A six-time Paralympic champion, the man known as Blade Runner became the first double leg amputee to participate in the Olympics at London 2012.

He had changed worldwide perceptions of disability and had become a hero in his homeland.

Of course, South African sport in the post-apartheid era has been here before.

In the 1990s, Hansie Cronje was supposed to lead the South African cricket team to the top of the world, emulating Francois Pienaar's achievements in rugby union.

And Cronje got close. By the second part of the decade, the Proteas had been re-established as a force in world cricket, enjoying the highest winning percentage in One-Day Internationals of any team.

They reached the semi finals of the Cricket World Cup in 1999, tying against Australia in an iconic match and losing on countback.

But, if there was anything Cronje liked more than winning, it was money and risk. He was a compulsive gambler.

With an unassailable 2-0 lead against England in a home Test series, the fifth Test in Centurion looked like being a disappointing washed-out draw.

Only 45 overs were possible on the first four days and South Africa had reached 155-6 in the first innings of the match, eventually going on to make 248-8.

Having declared, Cronje then made history as he became the first Test captain to forfeit a second innings.

In return, England captain Nasser Hussain had agreed to declare their first innings at 0-0 and so, effectively, a One-Day chase of 249 off the 70 remaining overs was set up.

On a difficult pitch, England made it to their target with two wickets and just five balls to spare, and so brought to an end South Africa's 14-match unbeaten streak in Tests.

At the time, Cronje was widely commended for his apparent show of sportsmanship - but he was also criticised in some quarters for his over-generous declaration.

Then, in April 2000, police in Dehli revealed they had a recording of a conversation between Cronje and Sanjay Chawla, a representative of an Indian betting syndicate, over match-fixing allegations.

Suddenly, a different light shone on the Centurion Test - and, indeed, it emerged in court that Cronje had accepted money and the gift of a leather jacket from a bookmaker in return for his early declaration.

Cronje was disgraced, and the South African media were stunned to report on the downfall of one of their favourite sporting sons.

The front-page headline on the Pretoria News simply asked: "Hansie, how could you?". Similarly, The Citizen - a South African tabloid - exclaimed "Oh, Hansie".

Cronje's career ended abruptly and, two years later, so did his life. On 1 June 2002, Cronje was killed after a cargo plane on which he was travelling crashed into the Outeniqua Mountains in poor weather. He was 32.

Aged 29, Ms Steenkamp was just a little younger when Pistorius made the fateful decision to shoot through the bathroom door just over 18 months ago.

It is a moment which will last with him forever, longer than any prison sentence - and it will also be what he is ultimately remembered for. Another fallen idol.

UPDATE (21/10/2014) Judge Masipa sentences Oscar Pistorius to five years for culpable homicide (manslaughter) and three years suspended for firearms offences (running concurrently).