So Wa Wai

So Wa Wai (born October 6, 1981) [cite web |title=Athlete Biography |publisher=The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games |url=http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRMP/ENG/BIO/Athlete/8/1202928.shtml |accessdate=2008-09-16] is an athlete from Hong Kong who has competed in the Paralympic Games on four occasions, winning 11 medals.

Early life

So was born with jaundice which affected both his hearing and the balance of his limbs, and hence competes in the T36 classification [cite web |title=A-Z of Paralympic classification |publisher=BBCSport |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/disability_sport/7586684.stm |accessdate=2008-09-16] for athletes with cerebral palsy. At the age of 10, his enthusiasm for running was noticed by athletics coach Poon Kin-lui, who then began to formally train So.cite web |title=So Wa-wai -- 'Forrest Gump' of Hong Kong wins 100m T36 bronze |publisher= [http://en.paralympic.beijing2008.cn/index.shtml The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games] |url=http://en.paralympic.beijing2008.cn/news/sports/athletics/n214594222.shtml |accessdate=2008-09-16]

Paralympic career

His first Paralympic appearance came at the 1996 games in Atlanta, where he won a gold medal as part of the men's 4×100 m relay team in the T34-37 classification.cite web |title=Medal record |publisher=Website of the International Paralympic Committee |url=http://www.paralympic.org/release/Main_Sections_Menu/Sports/Results/paralympics_search.html?fname=Wa%20Wai&games=all&gender=all&medal=medals&name=So&npc=all&sport=2 |accessdate=2008-09-16]

Over the course of the next two summer Paralympic Games, 2000 in Sydney and 2004 in Athens, So won of four gold and two silver medals in a range of individual events, up to a distance of 400 m, as well as two bronze medals in relay events.

In 2008 So was chosen to be part of the torch relay as the Olympic flame passed through Hong Kong on its way to Beijing. [cite web |title=Torchbearer So Wa Wai hands over the flame to equestrian Nelson Yip Siu-hong |publisher= [http://torchrelay.beijing2008.cn/en/index.shtml The Official Website of the Torch Relay] |url=http://torchrelay.beijing2008.cn/en/journey/hongkong/photos/n214336392.shtml] However, his participation in the games themselves was put into doubt when an injury to his father rendered him unable to work. So was forced to give up his training and take up a full time job to support his family. Help with his situation came from Andy Lau, a Hong Kong entertainer and the singer of the Beijing Paralympic Games official theme song "Flying with the Dream" [cite web |title=Beijing Paralympic theme song shows love for life
publisher=China Daily |url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/paralympics/2008-09/06/content_7005411.htm] , who gave him a full-time job with the flexibility to allow him to train for the Games.

At the 2008 Summer Paralympics games, So led the Hong Kong team into the Bird's Nest Stadium during the opening ceremony as the flagbearer. [ [http://www.paralympic.org/release/Main_Sections_Menu/News/Press_Releases/Flagbearers_List_Opening_Ceremony_Final_5_Sept1.pdf Official list] on the website of the International Paralympic Committee] During competition he first won a bronze medal in the 100 m, a performance with which he was disappointed, and followed this with a sixth place in the 400 m. In the 200 m T36 final he broke his own world record with a time of 24.64 seconds [cite web |title=Official results of men's 200m - T36 |publisher=The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games |url=http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRMP/ENG/INF/AT/C73A/ATM230101.pdf |accessdate=2008-09-16] on the way to winning the gold medal [cite web |title=So Wa Wai wins Men's 200m T36 gold medal |publisher=The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games |url=http://en.paralympic.beijing2008.cn/news/sports/athletics/n214603877.shtml |accessdate=2008-09-16] , making him the Paralympic champion in that event for the third succesive occasion. After the race he said he had been ill before the competion and that "During the first part of today's competition I did not run at my normal speed", he attributed his win to both "good luck" and "practice". [cite web |title=HK veteran breaks world record to take Paralympics gold |publisher=China Daily |url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/paralympics/2008-09/16/content_7029811.htm |accessdate=2008-09-16]

So is the current world record holder in both the 100 and 200 m men's T36 classification.

ee also

*Hong Kong, China at the 2008 Summer Paralympics

References

External links

* [http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRMP/ENG/BIO/Athlete/8/1202928.shtml Athlete biography] at The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games