The Paralympians touch down...and the secrets of the running blades.

Over 2,000 athletes landed in the UK this week for the Paralympic Games including the Canadian wheelchair rugby player David Willsie and New Zealand sailor Jan Apel. In BBC Radio 1's "Against All Odds", Vernon Kay charts the journeys of soldiers injured in Afghanistan and Iraq who are now going for Gold at the Paralympics, including Sam Bowen who had difficulties coping with post-traumatic stress and Major Martin Colclough who coaches ex-Forces Paralympians. BBC World Service "Inside the Paralympics" investigates the science behind carbon fibre running blades made famous by Oscar Pistorius. As a record number of Welsh athletes get ready to compete at the Games, BBC Wales speaks to table tennis players Sara Head and Rob Davis. Wheelchair tennis player Lucy Shuker looks forward to the Paralympics. Finally this week, as the flames of the Paralympic torch were lit on top of the UK's four highest mountains, BBC Ulster's Mark Simpson tries to justify his role in the base camp making tea!

You can listen to The Paralympians touch down...and the secrets of the running blades. online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

The Paralympians touch down...and the secrets of the running blades. is an episode from The Olympics by BBC.

This episode is 29:42 long.

This episode was published on Aug 24, 2012.

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