Athletics

Athletics in wheelchair sports is known as an individual sport, but this doesn't hold the athletes back to play it as a team sport, in groups or to train in clubs. This adds to the pleasure of the sport and everybody has more fun, while sharing valuable tips and information. Every year the different tournaments are attended and partaken in. The most well known and liked international street tournament of Switzerland belongs to the Wheelchair Marathon Schenkon, which routes all around Lake Sempach and takes place every two years. Analog to passenger athletics also wheelchair sports takes place within different time frames of the Swiss, European and World championship, as well as parallel to the Olympic Games, the Paralympycs are conducted.

 

In wheelchair athletics the track and street driving sports as well as pitching are looked at as single disciplines, or combined with track disciplines in a pentathlons competition. During driving applies the pro disciplines of four handicapped categories, in the technical disciplines are eight differentiations.

 

The Sports Equipment of Wheelchair Athletes

The custom designed race wheelchair today is high tech equipment, comparable with a race bike. Also the pitcher chair for pitchers is unique. The pentathlon athlete requires both a racing chair as well as a pitcher chair.

 

The racer chair has two big wheels in the back and a smaller wheel in the front and has a steering wheel with a brake, so the appropriate and correct curving radius and the grade of the assigned lane can be adjusted also over the lane steering. This technique challenges the athlete in addition to adjust the steering several times during each round, amidst a hit against its steering. Often this steering possibility is utilized in street races. Athletes which are paralyzed to a lesser degree, can also effect a directional change through the upper body without lift off of the front wheel.

 

In contrary to the everyday wheelchair the racing chair is not only powered through the grasp wheel. The athlete speeds the chair by swinging his arms up to get momentum and than through the power of his hands submits that energy to the appropriate components and its wheels. At its lowest place the synchronized movement flows over to the next phase.

 

In order to prevent injuries to the hands, the athletes use special and individually crafted gloves.