
- 1944: The history of wheelchair racing
begins during WWII. In 1944, with many veterans newly wheelchair bound, Sir
Ludiwg Guttman, the director of the Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville
Hospital in England, began to incorporate wheelchair sports as rehabilitation
for his patients.
- Late 1940: After Sir Ludwig Guttman’s competitions,
the popularity of competitive wheelchair sports skyrocketed in England as well
as in the United States. His wheelchair sports paved the way for the international
acceptance of wheelchair users in sports.
- 1952: The first ever international wheelchair
race for WWII veterans is organized in Great Britain. There was a total of 130 athletes
that participated in the event. At that time, they competed with very heavy and
bulky wheelchairs in short races such as the 100m sprint.
- 1964: Wheelchair racing is made an
official event in the Tokyo Paralympics. The races were an immediate crowd
favorite. During these games, American athlete, Carol Giesse, won a gold medal for
the 60m sprint.
- 1976: Officials begin to allow longer
races up to 1500m after Eugene Roberts, a double amputee, unofficially
completed the Boston Marathon in his wheelchair. Roberts was allowed to begin
the course an hour early and finished in seven hours.
- Early 1980s: During the 1980s, athletes
began transforming their wheelchairs to accommodate for smoother and faster
performance during races. Before this, their chairs still had many traditional
components of typical wheelchairs. They also started seeking out more specialized
and targeted training.
- Late 1980s: The first three-wheeled racing
chairs started to appear and were approved for use in official races. The weight
of the chairs was also dramatically reduced. As these technological advances
emerged, the world began to see an incredible shift and peaked interest in wheelchair
sports.
- 1990s: Athletes make the move from racing
in a sitting to a kneeling position. The aerodynamics of the chair became
incredibly important. Athletes made small changes to deter anything from
slowing them down. Helmets were redesigned and more care was taken into the
making and choosing of gloves.
- Present: With such advanced technology, racing
wheelchairs now allow their athletes to move faster than ever before. This
sport is now recognized globally, which has opened the door for many up-and-coming
athletes. Many countries around the world have incorporated wheelchair
categories in marathons.
Sources:
https://www.paralympic.org/news/sport-week-history-athletics
https://www.paralympicheritage.org.uk/wheelchair-racing#:~:text=At%20the%20Tokyo%201964%20Paralympic,Heidelberg%2C%20Germany%20(1972).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheelchair_racing
http://www.bwra.co.uk/history.html
https://www.washingtondc.va.gov/news/veteran_runner.asp
https://www.nytimes.com/1964/11/13/archives/us-team-victor-in-paralympics-games-end-with-americans-far-ahead-in.html