Source: CRI

09-02-2008 19:08

Fencing paralympian Jin Jing participated in the Beijing Paralympic flame lighting ceremony by holding the fire-pan in the Temple of Heaven in Beijing on Thursday.

Wheelchair-bound Jin Jing(L) holds the cauldron while Jiang Xintian,  a deaf-mute girl, holds the lit Beijing Paralympic torch at the flame  lighting ceremony in the Temple of Heaven in Beijing on August 28, 2008.  [Photo: beijing2008.cn]

Jin Jing, a wheelchair-bound torchbearer who bravely shielded the flame from protestors during the Paris-leg of the Olympic torch relay, became a national hero and was named ambassador of a Paralympic cheering group launched in early May this year.

Carrying the torch along the Seine River on April 7, Jin demonstrated great valor when a "pro-Tibet independence" activist, attempting to disrupt and sabotage the torch relay, reached for her wheelchair and lunged toward her. Without concern for her own safety, Jin did her best to protect the flame, her face exhibiting courage and pride in spite of the chaotic situation.

In that moment, it was easy to see why her friends call her the "smiling angel in a wheelchair."

Jin Jing, a Paralympic fencer, returned home from the  Olympic torch relay trip in early April and received  a hero's welcome when she was recognized by people at  Beijing's Capital International Airport.  [File Photo: Xinhua]

But her bravery is not incidental. In 1989, when Jin was in third grade, a malignant tumor was found in her ankle, leading to amputation of part of her leg. She later returned to school after a year of chemotherapy. Refusing to use a cane for fear that she would get in people's way, Jin insisted on getting around on one foot. Her persistence would lead to a lot of pain, but she would survive.

Successfully battling cancer, Jin would even become a member of the Shanghai Wheelchair Fencing Team in 2001.

Being selected as a Lenovo torchbearer "feels like a dream," according to Jin. "God closed one door but opened another -- happiness is the best gift you can give yourself," said the optimistic Jin.

 

Editor:Zhang Ning