With the countdown to Rio on in earnest, the National Sports Museum has unveiled an exhibit featuring equipment used by some of Australia’s best Paralympians.

The exhibition examines the variation in design of sports wheelchairs, as used by champion Australian athletes.

On display is a rugby wheelchair used by Brad Dubberley at the 2004 Games in Athens and a marathon racing wheelchair used by four-time Paralympian Kurt Fearnley to win one gold, two silver and a bronze in Beijing in 2008.

Rounding out the trio is a basketball wheelchair used by Tina McKenzie as part of Australia's bronze medal team at Beijing.

The display presents a great opportunity for the museum to expose visitors to unique and unusual sporting equipment.

If you haven’t seen an elite sports wheelchair up close before, you might be surprised by just how specialised they are. Fearnley uses a racing wheelchair that’s feather-light and aerodynamic, while Dubberley’s hefty rugby wheelchair is more like an armoured tank, and has the battle scars to match.

The exhibition will remain on display until the conclusion of the Paralympic Games in September next year.