The Korean team has fared well in athletics, bowling, wheelchair dance, swimming and boccia at the 2014 Asian Para Games in Incheon. Korea is now ranked second in the medal count, with 32 gold, 17 silver and 32 bronze medals.

Jeon Min-jae has become the first two-time gold medalist in athletics. Jeon won her first gold medal in the women's 200 meter T36 final on October 19. Then, she won another gold by 1.07 seconds in the women's 100 meter T36 event on October 20. Jeon's story has touched many hearts.




Jeon suffered from cerebral palsy at the age of 15 and fell into despair, saying, "I only want to live until I am 20 years old." However, she started attending elementary school at 19 and began track and field at 29 at the suggestion of her teacher. Now, at the age of 37, she has won two gold medals at the Asian Para Games.

Jeon has difficulty in expressing herself verbally. In a letter she prepared in advance, she said she wanted to thank her coach, who encouraged her by saying, "Effort does not betray you," when she felt down and wanted to give up.

On the same day, Team Korea won all three medals available in the three wheelchair dance competitions being held at the Ganghwa Dolmens Gymnasium. This is the first time for the discipline to be introduced to the Asian Para Games. Wheelchair dance is separated into two groups, combi and duo. In the combi competition, one partner is allowed to stand, whereas in the duo competition, both dancers must be seated in wheelchairs.




Jang Hye-jeong (38) and Lee Jae-woo (19) won the Combi Standard Class 1 championship. Jang became paralyzed from the waist down at the age of four. She is now a mother with two daughters. Since 2010, she has partnered with Lee, who is 19 years her junior, for the discipline. Lee is a promising dancer who won a silver medal at the national sports competition while he was a high school freshman.

"I wouldn't have come this far without Jang," Lee said, expressing his gratitude to his partner. "Jang is like my savior."

Choi Moon-jung (38) and Park Joon-young (30) also won a gold medal in the Combi Standard Class 2 event. Choi went on to win another gold in the Duo Latin Class 2 competition, along with Choi Jong-chul (38).

Moving on from the dance competitions, Kim Han-soo (22) and Jeong Ho-won (28) beat their counterpart 10 to 5 in the Boccia Mixed Pairs BC3 final to win the gold medal.

Boccia is a sport developed for people suffering from cerebral palsy. The players must throw or roll the ball so that it lands as close as possible to the target ball. Kim Han-soo has severe disabilities and is unable to throw the ball alone. A game assistant places the ball on the court and Kim hits the ball with the boccia stick held in his mouth.

Swimmer Kim Se-jin (17) uses a prosthetic leg made of titanium and has the nickname of "Robot Leg." Since birth, he has had no lower leg from his right knee down and from his left ankle down. He has only a thumb and a ring finger on his right hand. Five months after birth, he was sent to an orphanage. He was later adopted at 18 months.

Finally, the national bowling team won four gold medals in individual competitions on October 19. They added four medals in the Mixed Doubles, winning eight gold medals in total.

By Limb Jae-un
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos courtesy of the Asian Paralympic Committee
jun2@korea.kr