Featured Program
Paul Nitz is a wheelchair sprinter. Although he missed the 2008 games in Beijing, he says he is hungry to return to the track and win another gold medal. He set a world record earlier this year, and he is hoping to duplicate that success when he heads to London later this month. This year, he will be competing in the 100m, 200m, and 400m races. When he is not competing, Nitz works for The Hartford.
MEDAL QUEST
More than 4,000 athletes from 150 countries are expected to compete at the London Paralympic Games, which open on August 29 and run through September 9, 2012. They'll enter at the new, 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium, race through the waters of the Aquatics Centre with its distinctive wave-like roof, and compete at other venues around London and as far away as Weymouth, on the English Channel, site of the Sailing competitions.
Visit the WGBH Medal Quest homepage
About the Paralympics
Called “the Olympics no one knows,” the Paralympics bring together top athletes with physical disabilities in thrilling matches on the field, in the pool, on bicycles, and in wheelchairs. This year the Games will be held in London, August 29 - September 9.
About Medal Quest
MEDAL QUEST: American Athletes and the Paralympic Games (pbs.org/medalquest) is a multi-platform digital project that follows athletes as they train and compete for medals. Online now, MEDAL QUEST delivers inspiring new content daily through October, including:
- original and archival videos of athletes and competitions
- athlete profiles and photos
- explanations of the 19 Summer Paralympic sports
- interactive blogs with featured athletes
- stories drawn from Paralympic history
