Like many people, I've always seen the Olympics as the ‘main' sporting event every four years- the headline act- and the Paralympics as something of an add-on- the supporting act. It you are not disabled yourself it is hard to understand some of the games and the athletes' mobility problems.

But being in the host city for these Paralympics has changed my perspective. I've come to realize these athletes are nothing short of super-heroes. Deprived of physical abilities we take for granted, they make up for them and then some; they test their senses and the boundaries of physical ability to extremes that the Bolts and Phelpses of this world will never have to.

If Usain Bolt had to undergo a double-amputation, I wonder if he would strap two carbon fiber blades to his knees like Oscar Pistorious, aka Blade Runner, of South Africa, and re-learn everything that had once come naturally.

If Michael Phelps suddenly became blind, would he have the courage to still surge through the water, not knowing when he will reach the end of the pool, like Donovan Tildesley? Would any of us have the guts to turn around a life-changing experience like a car crash or bad rugby scrum, and not only get our lives back on track but then strive to be the best at a sport?

‘What Paralympic sport would you do if you were disabled?', was a water-cooler question I posed today. It's not something you would normally think about. You don't watch TV as a kid aspiring to be a Paralympian. But it takes more than early mornings, training programs and special diets to get to the Paralympics. It takes a tragedy or loss that will have been grieved, worked through and overcome.

If you've ever tried walking with your eyes closed you will know how difficult it is to have the nerve to do so, even if it's in a home you've lived in for years. Now imagine running with your eyes closed… Now imagine running 100m as fast as you can with nothing holding you back. China's Wu Chunmiao did this on September 9 in a time of 12.31 seconds.

Skiing is terrifying enough if you have all your faculties. Standing at the top of a ski slope, it's a battle of wills for most people to launch themselves, but Canada's Donovan Tildesley who has been blind from birth, revealed to a China Daily reporter this week that not only does he already ski, but he wants to take it up competitively.

Super-heroes indeed; each and every one. The Paralympics should be renamed the Superlympics. It's nothing to do with the equality denoted by the Greek “para”, it's about “super” ability, courage and strength that most of us, the top able-bodied athletes of the world included, will never have to muster.

It's worth remembering that many Paralympians are here because they've picked up horrific injuries while living life to the full. You don't get paralyzed sitting at home playing on a Nintendo after all. And having lived life to the full they are not prepared to stop. That's the lesser talked about ‘Paralympic spirit'.

I only hope that if life deals me or my loved ones similar blows we will tackle them in the same way as the men and women we are lucky enough to be sharing Beijing with at the moment.