It took 15 years for her to get out of the house after an accident that paralyzed her from the waist down. She first got involved in table tennis and then turned to athletics. Seven years later, she started training in various other sports. She has now won a gold medal in handcycling at the 2014 Asian Para Games in Incheon.

This is the story of Lee Do-yeon (42), the "queen of handcycling." Lee has now become a two-time gold medalist at the games.



Lee, who is now married with three daughters, fell from a building when she was 19 years old. Shocked by the incident, she stayed home every day for nearly 15 years. At her mother's suggestion, she started playing table tennis and getting out of her house. She played the sport for six years, but she came to the conclusion that she could not represent her country at the international level due to steep domestic competition.

In 2012, she turned to athletics. In the same year, she competed in javelin, discus and shot put at the National Para Games, setting Korean records and surprising sports officials. However, to compete at the Paralympics or in the international para championships, she had to be above a certain level. Her records were far from the international standard, so she decided to switch to the handcycling.

Lee was like a comet in the handcycle arena. Only one year after starting handcycling, she won a series of medals in major international competitions.

This year, she won the Union Cycliste Internationale's (UCI) Para-cycling Road World Cup in Italy in May. Then, she won two gold medals at the UCI Para-Cycling World Cup in Spain in July, and another gold at the UCI Paracycling Road World Championships in Greenville, South Carolina, in the U.S.

"I've had much difficulty after my accident, but I am going to make a lot of efforts, as I've done. So in the future, please give me the same kind of support," said Lee to her family. "I will live, exercise and race passionately and bring happiness to as many people as possible."

Ryu Min-ho (47), the handcyling coach, introduced the sport to Korea in 2007. "I met Lee in May 2013 for the first time," said Ryu. "After watching her training, I came to believe that she was going to become a world-class athlete."

"I am very impressed. I can see her enjoy cycling. She can learn much faster than her male counterparts. She also trains very hard," he said.

"It has been only a short while since she started the sport, so she can perform at about the 70 percent level, but when she reaches the 100 percent level, she will be able to win at the Paralympics," he added.



By Limb Jae-un
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Yonhap News
jun2@korea.kr