Sanchez, known as “Oz” to his friends, teammates and coaches, has been working hard to put himself among the world’s elite in the men’s handcycling C Division, and U.S. Paralympics Cycling Head Coach Craig Griffin (Colorado Springs, Colo.) believes that he has been able to do that in a relatively short amount of time.

“Oz has made terrific gains in the last nine months,” Griffin said. “He’s dropped 25 pounds and improved his aerobic capacity by 15 percent, and that’s allowed him to go from a development athlete to a top-six contender.”

Sanchez grew up in Los Angeles and was very involved in sports through his high school years, competing in soccer, football and track. He was good enough in football to be an All-State selection at the tight end position, but never pursued the college game because, despite his award-winning play, he was rather undersized for his position – he was six feet tall and less than 200 pounds at the time.

After high school, Sanchez, who opted not to go to college, began living a rougher kind of lifestyle. He got involved with gangs and drugs, and was getting into trouble. It wasn’t long before his family intervened. His uncle and his brother, a Green Beret with the U.S. Army, encouraged him to join the military as a way of turning his life around. Sanchez took the advice, and signed up to be a member of the U.S. Marine Corps.

Sanchez became a member of a Force Reconnaissance unit and served for six years, at which time he decided to make a change. He wanted to stay in the military, but as a Navy SEAL.

It was after making this decision in 2001 that Sanchez was involved in the motorcycle accident that left him with damage to the L1 nerves in his lower back.

After going through rehabilitation, he visited a local V.A. hospital, and it was there that he saw a handcycle for the first time.

“I was an avid cyclist before I got hurt, so it only seemed natural,” Sanchez said. “I thought it could be a good avenue because it was a non-impact sport and I knew it was a really healthy sport to get into. I asked the guy if I could get one and he said yes, and I basically took off from there.”

After getting his own handbike, Sanchez found a local group of handcyclists in the San Diego area, but found them to be too recreational for his liking. He began looking for more competitive outlets, and found what he was looking for in local marathons all over California.

Through the competitions, Sanchez was able to meet Paralympians Alejandro Albor (Elk Grove, Calif.) and Greg Hockensmith (Tucson, Ariz.), as well as other top handcyclists, and began learning more about competing internationally. The idea intrigued him, so when he found out the U.S. Paralympics Cycling coaching staff would be in Chula Vista, Calif., for the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Paralympic Military Summit last November, Sanchez decided to show up and introduce himself, even though he wasn’t officially signed up for the event. His potential came through during the Summit’s clinics to the point that Griffin invited Sanchez to the National Team camp that was taking place two weeks later, and he’s been a part of every camp since.

Through the camps, Sanchez and Albor have become good friends and training partners. Because they’re both Hispanic and they race in the same classification, Sanchez said they bonded right away. The fact that Albor has continued to be one of the top handcyclists in the world should also mean Sanchez shouldn’t have to worry about his training partner not being up to any challenge.

“He’s a world champ, so who better to compete with and train with?” Sanchez said.

Griffin echoed those sentiments.

“[His improvement] is largely due to his commitment to training and having Alejandro to chase in training,” Griffin said.

Another key in Sanchez’s recent development has been his transition to a style of bike called a “kneeler,” which allows him to rest on his knees and lean his upper body forward as he pedals. The switch, which he says he was encouraged to make by teammate Seth Arseneau (Albuquerque, N.M.), has allowed him to generate more power and speed compared to any other kind of bike Sanchez has used, and the proof can be found in his results.

“It took a while to break in the muscles because it’s a whole other ballgame,” Sanchez said. “I just laugh at myself on the old bike when I think of how much faster I am now.”

Although his dedication and rapid improvement have allowed him to join the elite level of U.S. handcyclists, he’s still trying to close in on his friend Albor. But Sanchez says he is getting closer.

“I’ve become really good on the flats, to the point where I can race side-by-side with him and be able to say to him, ‘Let’s go,’” Sanchez said. “But the biggest gap, and I don’t know if I’ll ever close it, is that he climbs ridiculously fast. When we hit a hill, he’ll dump me like a sack of rocks.”

Sanchez will need to find a way to make up that difference if he is to eventually beat Albor, but he isn’t short on motivation.

“I remember the first time I met him,” Sanchez said. “I told him, ‘I’m going to beat you.’  I’ve told that to everybody, and because I’m a man of my word, I have to follow it up.

“But I did tell him it might take a few years.”

In the mean time, Sanchez hopes that his improvement and Albor’s continued success can lead to a “takeover” of the international handcycling circuit, and that goal could be within their grasp in the next couple years. In his first international event, Sanchez finished seventh in the Men’s HCC Time Trial at the 2006 IPC Cycling World Championships in Aigle, Switzerland, this month and did not finish in the Road Race, which was won by Albor.

Sanchez said he intends to compete at the 2008 Paralympic Games, and his coach says he’s got the potential to do big things in China.

“I see him capable of a podium in Beijing,” Griffin said. “The courses suit his physiology. He just needs to develop his pack skills and learn the European style of racing.”

Although Sanchez is committed to his training, cycling is far from the only thing occupying his time. He recently received his bachelor’s degree in business from San Diego State University, and he said to wants to get involved with motivational speaking. In addition, Angela Madsen (Long Beach, Calif.), who recently won her fourth consecutive adaptive rowing world championship (with teammate Scott Brown), is a good friend of Sanchez, and she’s been encouraging him to get in a boat.

Regardless of what the future holds for him, expect Oz to approach it the same way he has pursued cycling – aggressively, confidently and with good results.