He tried to brake, but there wasn't enough wind. So he landed on his rear end and fractured his vertebrae. "I knew as soon as I landed that something had gone terribly wrong because I can't get up," he said.

Daniel's life changed from that moment and it included a long healing and rehabilitation period.

"It is really hard to cope with this disability and it involves so many aspects," the Canadian said, "but I've always been a positive person. Once I accepted the fact that I'm in a wheelchair to spend my life, I just make it a challenge."

Daniel soon started looking for ways to live an active lifestyle. He took up adaptive rowing last year and discovered what many others already knew: The sport, which is making its Paralympic debut in Beijing, presents a great opportunity for athletes with disabilities to test their mettle.

"Adaptive rowing was good for me," Daniel said. "I just want a sport that I could do without having to go away from my family."

"And the rowing motion is easy on the shoulders and arms compared to the wheelchair basketball, as well as being a great way to attain cardiovascular fitness. The sense of freedom and speed on the water is also a great feeling."

He trained hard both in an actual boat and on a rowing machine called ergometer, which saw him make consistent progress, and after just eight months' work, Daniel won gold and set the 1,000-metres Canadian record for arms-only athletes with a time of 4 minutes, 29.6 seconds in the Canadian indoor rowing championships.

He then was invited to train with the national adaptive rowing team and in June he won the men's arms-only seat on the team.

"Steve is the fastest arms-only rower in Canada," said Daniel's coach Thomas Merritt. "I think he has the potential to be the fastest athlete in his category in the world."