Every edge pursued (Image:Dylan Martinez/Reuters)
WHEN Bryan Kirkland sees middle-distance wheelchair racers sweating and shaking on the starting line, he knows it is not necessarily a sign of nerves. Kirkland, a retired member of the US Paralympics team with several medals to his name, says such behaviour is a classic sign of “boosting”, a method of enhancing performance that can mean the difference between defeat and victory. The trouble is, athletes who turn to boosting also tread a line between life and death.
Now one spinal cord researcher is calling for a change in rules to stamp out the…
