JOHANNESBURG -- Double-amputee runner Oscar Pistorius was chosen by South Africa's athletics federation to join this month's world championships.

Pistorius called the selection a culmination of his dream to compete at the highest level against able-bodied athletes.

Oscar Pistorius will be the first amputee to compete at the world championships when he represents South Africa in South Korea as its only runner in the 400 meters. Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images

He will be the first amputee athlete at the worlds when he represents South Africa in Daegu, South Korea, as its only runner in the 400 meters. He was also chosen for the 4x400 relay.

The 24-year-old Pistorius was part of a group of 26 athletes picked by Athletics South Africa after he smashed his personal best last month at a meet in northern Italy.

He made the qualifying time for the worlds and next year's London Olympics.

"I have dreamt for such a long time of competing in a major championships and this is a very proud moment in my life," Pistorius said in a statement. "It is an honor to be representing my country at such a prestigious event and I hope to do my best at the competition for South Africa."

"If I manage to make it through the heats, I would be thrilled," he added. "A good performance for me would be to be consistent through the heats. If I ran anywhere close to my PB (personal best), I would be delighted."

Women's 800-meter world champion Caster Semenya also was included and will defend the title she won in 2009 amid a storm of controversy over gender tests.

Eleven of South Africa's athletes will be going to the world championships for the first time, including Pistorius, who had to take his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to be allowed to compete in able-bodied events on his carbon fiber blades.