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UPDATED: September-5-2008  
Disabled Man Bags Five Golds
Li Chenggang said that he would not rest content living on his own
 

AT the Third Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled (FESPIC) in Xianggang, Li Chenggang placed first in five events: long jump, table tennis singles, 100metre freestyle swim, 50-metre breaststroke and 50-metre backstroke.

Li, 24, is an accountant at a sewing factory for disabled workers in the suburbs of Tianjin. When he was one and a half years old, he lost his right arm and leg in an accident. However, his mother did not confine him to bed. She gave him a small stool to use as a crutch. Li thus learnt to move around and he even hopped about playing soccer with other kids.

At school, Li turned down the teacher's suggestion that he skip the physical education classes. He mastered box-horse jump, high jump, long jump, soccer, basketball and swimming. His natural ability and steadfast efforts paid off.

Li has played table tennis for more than 10 years and has developed unique skills that often upset even opponents in normal conditions. Li Chenggang contended during the FESPIC Games at a disadvantage as table tennis was only arranged for athletes of A6 and A8 categories [注1]> not for A9 as his condition is defined. Li, however, eclipsed his opponents and won the honours all the same.

Li Chenggang said that he would not rest content living on his own. Rather he is determined to do things as other people do and be worthy of the designation of socialist youth. This might help explain his haul of five golds.

-- "Beijing Wanbao" (Beijing Evening News)

注释:

[注1] Athletes of A6 category are those who lost one arm and those of A8, one arm and a half.

(Beijing Review p.27, No. 3, 1983)


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