At only 22 years old, Daniel Romanchuk has etched his legacy in Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race history, winning the men’s wheelchair division for the fourth time.
Romanchuk blew by the other 34 competitors in Sunday morning’s race, winning with a time of 19:04. Two years ago, he shattered the Peachtree record, finishing in only 18:11.
“Sometimes it’s a little difficult to stay pushing myself when I’m on my own,” Romanchuk said. “But I’ve tried to develop something. I have this opportunity to try and push myself and just see what I can do to keep going hard.”
The Baltimore native kept a 3:04 pace in the 10K race, refamiliarizing himself with the course and getting more comfortable with the hills that the course presents.
Not having raced as often in the past year, the Peachtree was crucial in preparing Romanchuk for the 2021 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, which are coming in August.
“Those are coming up quickly, so this gives us a nice gauge of where things are right now so we can do a little bit of fine-tuning before the Games,” Romanchuk said. “It’s a huge honor to be able to represent the U.S. To bring home a medal would be incredible.”
Romanchuk will head home to Champaign, Illinois, to continue training and getting physically and mentally prepared for the Games. It will be his second time competing in the Games with Team USA.
He’s more excited than nervous for the opportunity in Tokyo.
“I try to just remember that the games are just another 10K,” Romanchuk said. “It’s still just a 400-meter track. Just need to go out there and do what I need to do.”
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