BEYOND THE MEDAL

A Paralympian and their guide form a partnership based on more than winning

- ALEKS KROTOSKI

On an overcast day in May I make a right turn on Olympic Parkway in Chula Vista, California. The mountains on my left create a natural boundary between the United States and Mexico; the division that the politicians talk about is rendered meaningless by the land that continues irresolutely over these hills. I turn right onto Gold Medal Way and see my destination.

Today’s journey to the Elite Athletic Training Center began in London, during the 2012 Paralympic Games. That event was remarkable for many reasons, including the greatest surge of interest by the general public in this decades-old competition, traditionally dwarfed by its able-bodied kin. It was a game-changer in representation on national television and a social shift in attitudes towards disabled people on the streets of Britain. I was riveted.