On my way down I noticed two disabled men ascending Kibo peak. Of them was Chris Waddell, the 41-year-old American, once a promising young skier, but in 1988 a skiing accident left him paralyzed from the waist down.
He did not allow his injuries to keep him off the slopes, he became the US Disabled Ski Team member and the most decorated male skier in Paralympic history, winning twelve medals.
The day we were descending he was attempting to reach the summit on his own, in a custom-made, four-wheeled bike propelled entirely by arm power, named "Kubwa" which means "huge" in Swahili.
Both him and the other man, Tajiri Mungaya, a Tanzanian from Arusha, climbing up with one artificial leg, successfully reached the Uhuru Peak the next day, Sept.30th, as I found later.
Chris has made a record as the first paraplegic who reached the summit of Africa's highest mountain using a hand cycle.
More to read about them
http://one-revolution.com/blog/
http://www.climbing.com/exclusive/above/two_giants_break_world_records_on_kilimanjaro/
http://allafrica.com/stories/200910051216.html
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