Hot Wheels

Every Saturday, 9-year-old Gabriel Mora wakes up early. He heads to a track about an hour from his New York City home. First, Gabriel does some exercises to warm up his muscles. Then he starts zooming around the track in a special wheelchair built for speed.

Gabriel was born with a condition called arthrogryposis (ar-throh-grih-POH-sis). That makes it hard for him to bend and flex his hips, ankles, and knees. He usually wears braces on his legs and walks with crutches. But he can’t always move as quickly as he wants to that way.

Gabriel Mora is nine years old. He wakes up early on Saturday. He heads to a track. It is about an hour from his home. He lives in New York City.

At the track, Gabriel does some exercises. He warms up his muscles. Then he starts zooming around the track. He sits in a special wheelchair. It is built for speed.

Gabriel was born with a condition. It is called arthrogryposis (ar-throh-grih-POH-sis). That makes it hard for him to bend and flex his hips, ankles, and knees. He usually wears braces on his legs. He also walks with crutches. But he can’t always move as quickly as he wants to. 

In 2017, Gabriel started wheelchair racing. He competes against other kids. “You get to go fast, which I like!” he says.

Regular wheelchairs have four wheels. In contrast, a racing chair has three wheels—one on each side and one in front. The side wheels are slanted outward to help the chair go around turns.

To move the chair forward, Gabriel pushes the wheels with the palms of his hands. Special gloves protect his hands and help him grip.

Gabriel started wheelchair racing in 2017. He competes against other kids. He loves going fast!

Regular wheelchairs have four wheels. A racing chair has three wheels. There is one wheel on each side. They are both slanted outward. This helps the chair move around turns. A third wheel is in front.

Gabriel pushes the wheels with the palms of his hands. This helps move the chair forward. Special gloves protect his hands and help him grip.

Gabriel practices with two coaches and several other kids. The coaches teach Gabriel and his teammates how to speed up, slow down, turn, and stop in their chairs.

In November 2017, Gabriel competed in a 400-meter race. He was nervous but excited as the athletes lined up to start. When an official shouted “Go,” Gabriel took off pushing as hard as he could. In about two minutes and 30 seconds, he crossed the finish line. He had won!

Gabriel loves everything about wheelchair racing, he says. And he’s not worried when it gets difficult. “When something seems hard, you have to keep trying. Eventually you will get it,” he says.

Gabriel practices with two coaches and several other kids. The coaches teach the group how to speed up, slow down, turn, and stop in their chairs.

In November 2017, Gabriel competed in a 400-meter race. He was nervous but excited. The athletes lined up to start.

An official shouted, “Go!” Gabriel took off. He pushed as hard as he could. In about two minutes and 30 seconds, he crossed the finish line. He won!

Gabriel loves everything about wheelchair racing. And he’s not worried when it gets difficult. “You have to keep trying. Eventually you will get it,” he says.