Bruce Wallrodt had to be tied down

Seated thrower Bruce Wallrodt and his ‘escort’ check on the progress of securing the tie-downs for his chair before on of his throws events at the 1988 Seoul summer Paralympics. In 1988, athletes threw from standard wheelchairs that were chained down to anchor points to keep the chair stable during the throw. This was an advance from the early years of wheelchair sport, when a coach or supporter crouched on the ground and held the chair steady but still some way from the specialist, individualised ‘throwing frames’ that are in use today.