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An incredible career spanning three decades inspired by a few short seconds of TV footage – David Weir’s goal in life immediately became to race in the London Marathon.
Now 45, Weir has become a legend of the iconic race and will compete in the capital for the 25th year in a row this Sunday – armed with a new racing chair that has seen him break personal bests across multiple distances on the track and given him the tools to propel himself back into contention for a ninth victory in London.
Competing in the same chair as long-time rival Marcel Hug in a marathon for the first time, Weir finished in third place and six minutes behind the ‘Swiss Silver Bullet’ as he won his seventh Boston Marathon on Monday.
“It’s basically a Formula 1 chair because it’s made by Sauber (which has a Formula 1 team under the name Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber), it feels amazing to push,” Weir told BBC Sport.
“I’m very aero[dynamic], the chair’s aero, it’s a full carbon chair – it’s great to be in.
“Marcel is on top of his game and is the master of the marathon distance at the moment, it’s a special race for me because it’s where I started my journey.”
The chair is worth up to £35,000 with full specifications and was developed by Sauber and Orthotec in collaboration with Hug,, external who has won marathons in Berlin, New York, London, Boston and Chicago with it, as well as breaking world records on the track.
Weir has been resurgent in his preparations for the marathon and Paralympics in Paris this year, breaking the T54 5000m British record in February at the Dubai Grand Prix in February, finishing just 0.2 seconds behind Hug as the Swiss set a new world record.
He also set new personal bests in the 800m and 1500m and now he has his sights set once again on competing on the track and in the marathon events at the Paralympics, despite previously retiring from track competition.
“I’ve got my spark back, I feel like I’m 10 years younger,” he said.
“It was a shock to me in Dubai because I didn’t think I could keep up with the guys but I raced really well.”
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