competition isn't the only thing important to romanchuk.ght up with him before he jetted off to france. >> reporter: six days a week at 6:00 a.m., daniel romanchuk leaves his van for a sleeker set of wheels. practices like this are a part of everyday life for romanchuk, a member of team usa. a five-mile warmup before hill drills where he and his chair hit speeds around 40 miles per hour. >> i've always enjoyed just pushing myself and seeing how far can i go, how fast can i go? >> reporter: the thrill of racing and competing is something this 25-year-old has been chasing since he was a kid. did you see yourself as different when you were younger? >> i think i knew it, but i -- it never really affected me at all. i didn't grow up with people telling me, oh, well, you can't do this, you know, it was always figure out -- figure out how to do it. >> reporter: romanchuk was born with spina bifida, a birth defect affecting the spine. he's been in a wheelchair since he was 5. a decision he made after trying to walk with braces. >> it allowed me to