NHK Documentary

Miracle Body: Breaking Limits with Hyper-Adaptability

How far can a human go to adapt? Tatyana McFadden of the United States is a wheelchair athlete who was born paralyzed from the waist down. She is already a legendary figure in para track and field who has won major events at all distances. In order to understand the secrets of her almost superhuman dominance, we did a scientific analysis of her body. What gives her speed in her wheelchair is not just raw strength, but also her exceptional command of her arms. She has this power because of remarkable adaptations within her body. To explore this further, we went to Russia, where McFadden spent her early childhood, and discovered that the first years of her life were unimaginably harsh. Born without certain physical abilities, she adapted ... and a "miracle body" was born. At the difficult time with the coronavirus, we offer this story about the wondrous potential of the human body to overcome seemingly impossible odds.