The classification systems for the Paralympic Games and adapted sports are often portrayed as the great equalizers, attempts to even the playing field when those with different disabilities come together to compete. From the outside, this can feel like a perfect solution to a predictable problem. In para ice hockey (formerly sledge hockey), classification is […]
In recent years, older athletes have held a grip on tennis like never before in the Open era. When younger players do break through, it’s big news — and speculation always runs rampant as to which up-and-comer will supplant one of the old guard. But the side of the sport familiar to most viewers isn’t […]
In 2019, Eliud Kipchoge became the first non-disabled runner to complete a marathon in under two hours. But wheelchair racers have been beating that barrier for decades: The fastest official time in a wheelchair was set in 1999 by Switzerland’s Heinz Frei. How many minutes did he beat the barrier by? Almost 40. Frei clocked […]
Becca Murray, a two-time gold medal winner in wheelchair basketball, balanced the demands of being an elite para-sport athlete by waking up at 4 a.m to train, working eight hours as a clinic assistant, and then returning to the gym. Though she was planning on competing in the 2020 Paralympics, the pandemic postponement forced her […]
The rules of wheelchair basketball and the “standup” version of the sport are almost identical. The court is the same length, the free-throw line is the same distance from the basket, as is the three-point line. The only real difference in the wheelchair game, aside from the presence of high-tech equipment, is the ability to […]