Wheelchair racing

Brazilian athlete Wendel Silva Soares in the 400 m wheelchair race at the 2007 Parapan American Games

Wheelchair racing is the racing of wheelchairs in track and road races. Wheelchair racing is open to athletes with any qualifying type of disability, including leg amputees, spinal cord injuries, and cerebral palsy. Athletes are classified in accordance with the nature and severity of their disability or combinations of disabilities. Like running, it can take place on a track or as a road race. The main competitions take place at the Summer Paralympics which wheelchair racing and athletics has been a part of since 1960. Competitors compete in specialized wheelchairs which allow the athletes to reach speeds of 30 km/h (18.6 mph) or more.[1] It is one of the most prominent forms of Paralympic athletics.

  1. ^ "Wheelchair Racing" (PDF). Paralympics. Archived from the original on 2008-04-11. Retrieved 2008-03-13.