Chris came to one of our workouts over a year ago.  He had been working out with the athletes at Arizona Disabled Sports and wanted some extra workouts, so he joined our group as well.  Talk about an inspirational human being!  Chris came with lots of personal goals:  to lose weight, to get faster and to compete in races.  Our group is more of a distance type walking/running but we always welcome handcyclists and wheelchair athletes who'd like to come to our workouts as we use multi-use paths. Chris is ambulatory but he suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury in Afghanistan.  Based on his experience at the Paralympic Military Sports Camp, he knew he was a sprinter but he could use our workouts to help him with endurance as he heard of the benefits of handcycling and knew about the location of our workouts. Chris used a handcycle the first week, a recumbent trike the second week and by the third week, he was road biking with a rotation of Achilles guides.  In a span of 3 months(?), he started seriously competing and qualified for and competed in races internationally.  I've missed Chris because he started training in San Diego at the Olympic Training Center in February.  However, his hard work and dedication paid off because he ended up qualifying for 3 events:  100 M, 200 M and Long Jump. 
Chris arrived in London on Friday and he will be competing in his first event, the 100 M, on September 2.  He will compete in the Long Jump on September 5th and his last event, the 200 M, will be on the 6th.  To follow Chris and the 2012 Paralympics in London, follow this link:  www.teamusa.org  click on the Paralympics tab (Thanks for keeping us in the loop, Eva!)
You are an inspiration, Chris Clemens!  Good luck in London!  We are so proud to be part of your amazing Olympic journey!