A wheelchair racer races down the track, his hands burning as he races to the finish line. A cyclist flies across the track, teetering on the edge of collapse.
At both Paralympic events, lives can change in a matter of seconds.
“It’s kind of like a human NASCAR,” says Canadian wheelchair sprinter Austin Smeenk. “We’re going around in circles, trying to see how fast we can do it, and we’re optimizing everything to do it as efficiently and effectively as possible. It’s a real opportunity.”
In a sprint for able-bodied individuals, the athlete focuses solely on his or her body, with the goal of achieving peak fitness before the most important races.
However, wheelchair racing introduces an entirely different element – the wheelchair itself.
Now suddenly two areas of optimization have emerged.
Smeenk, 27, from Oakville, Ont., broke through by winning his first two major medals, a silver and a bronze, at last year’s world championships. In June, Smeenk set world records in the men’s T35 800 and 400 meters — with three separate times in the latter.
The two-time Paralympian also has a degree in electromechanical engineering, so he is well aware of how a wheelchair works with his body.
Although Smeenk says it’s mostly up to the athlete to control the speed, a properly designed wheelchair can be the difference between finishing on the podium or not.
“We still use the analogy that if you take the same race car and make it lighter, it will go faster. Force equals mass times acceleration; less mass equals more acceleration. So we really honed this racing seat to be as minimalist as possible,” Smeenk said.
Two years ago, Smeenk moved to Victoria to train at the Athletics Canada West Hub at Camosun College, where he works closely with the Camosun Innovates lab to create the best chair possible for himself.
One of the first things he did after the move, along with trainer Geoff Harris, was to evaluate his equipment from every angle possible to remove any unnecessary weight.
The Importance of Optimized Hardware
Smeenek’s engineering background helped simplify the process, which also involved Richard Burman, a student and lecturer at Camosun Innovates.
“I can even draw my own parts and say, ‘Hey, this is something I was thinking about, can you produce it?’” Smeenk said. “So being able to communicate on a technical level about the fine details, when those details are the things we’re really starting to crack and get into, that was instrumental.”
But funding, especially compared to F1, is lacking in the Paralympic world. And because research is so scattered around the world, athletes can show up to competitions with completely different chairs or bikes.
However, the most important differentiating factor is that for Paralympic equipment to be fully optimised, it must be tailored to the needs of each individual athlete.
Smeenk said that individuality is the second most important thing, after the chair itself.
“We sat down with some of the smartest sports scientists in Canada, if not the world, and we discussed what is the optimal angle at which my arm meets the rim. At what point do I want to have full extension, or do I always want to maintain a slight bend behind the elbow?” he said.
“So we calculated all of these ergonomic aspects to make sure I had the best biomechanics in relation to the chair – and that’s what gold medalists do.”
“We always look at the data”
Gold medal winners like Parapan Am cycling champion Alexandre Hayward, 27, from Quispamsis, New Brunswick, who is heading to Paris for his first Paralympic Games.
Like Smeenk, Hayward also has an engineering degree, which he uses to design his bike.
“I’ve done a lot of aero testing, which I think some people are a little less interested in than I am. So yeah, it’s just a cool opportunity. It’s so sports science-based, right? We’re always looking at the numbers, we’re always looking at the data. And I think it’s a really good mix of what I’m interested in,” Hayward said.
WATCH | Hayward prepares for Paralympic debut in Paris:
The former wheelchair basketball player is set to make his Paralympic debut in Paris two years after successes on the domestic and international Paralympic cycling stages
The former professional hockey prospect broke his neck during a game at age 16, leaving him with limited sensation in all four limbs.
Hayward said he places touchpoints along the length of the bike to make sure his toes are in the right place, and his position on the bike’s saddle is key to getting the most out of his body.
Hayward said that beyond the bike itself, choice of gear such as socks and helmets can also lead to “free speed.”
“I spend a lot of time reading books about certain engineers from certain professional teams or listening to podcasts and trying to get a feel for what able-bodied people are doing because they always seem to be one step ahead of the ball and trying to apply it here and there,” he said.
Ultimately, all these small considerations could prove to be very important for Smeenek and Hayward, who will be fighting for their first Paralympic medal in Paris.
And if those potential podium places are scored by tenths or even hundredths of a second, you’ll know why.
