Larry Wong

In September, I had the opportunity to photograph the second largest sporting event in the world when I was asked to cover the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.

I have photographed both summer and winter Olympic Games before, but was a little apprehensive because I was unfamiliar with Paralympic sports and was also the lone photographer covering the Games for the Postmedia chain.

On Sept. 8, I captured this image of Team Canada’s Mike Whitehead, left, colliding with Team USA’s Chuck Aoki during the semifinal game of wheelchair rugby, also known as “murderball.”

I made a decision to move from the court position after the first half of the game, where all the other photographers were positioned, and took a high position with a 300mm lens to get a different angle. When I captured this collision, I knew I had a unique image, as there were no other photographers beside me.

It was a classic game that was determined in the final seconds. Canada defeated the U.S. by a score of 50-49 to advance to the gold medal final, which they subsequently lost to Australia.

But I learned that the Paralympic Games were not about winning and losing. As this image shows, I witnessed the heart and soul of some amazing athletes and left London with a new respect for the Paralympic movement.