The Paralympics are coming to LA. But has the US done enough to guarantee success?

American track athletes have not dominated the Paralympics in the way they have the Olympics. More money and commitment is needed

Although he came up just short in one of the most thrilling events of last weekend's US Track and Field Outdoor Championships, Miguel Jimenez-Vergara could still take satisfaction in a crowd-pleasing performance.

Competing for the first time at the famous Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, the 24-year-old waged a tense tactical war over 5000m with the US's fastest wheelchair racers. Entering the final lap, Jimenez-Vergara vaporized a tightly packed field with a ferocious acceleration that energized the crowd. Only one competitor could rise to the challenge: reigning Paralympic gold medalist Daniel Romanchuk. Jimenez-Vergara still led by a wheel as they rocketed through the final turn at more than 20 mph; Romanchuk caught him in the final 50m and won by a tenth of a second.

Larry Borowsky is the editor of Amplitude, a national lifestyle magazine for amputees.