So Wa Wai
Encyclopedia
So Wa Wai (born October 6, 1981) is an athlete from Hong Kong
who has competed in the Paralympic Games
on four occasions, winning 11 medals.
which affected both his hearing and the balance of his limbs, and hence competes in the T36 classification 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.
in Atlanta, where he won a gold medal
as part of the men's 4×100 m relay team
in the T34-37 classification.
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
. 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", 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
. 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 on the way to winning the gold medal, making him the Paralympic champion in that event for the third successive occasion. After the race he said he had been ill before the competition 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".
So is the current world record holder in both the 100 and 200 m men's T36 classification.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
who has competed in the Paralympic Games
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...
on four occasions, winning 11 medals.
Early life
So was born with jaundiceJaundice
Jaundice is a yellowish pigmentation of the skin, the conjunctival membranes over the sclerae , and other mucous membranes caused by hyperbilirubinemia . This hyperbilirubinemia subsequently causes increased levels of bilirubin in the extracellular fluid...
which affected both his hearing and the balance of his limbs, and hence competes in the T36 classification for athletes with cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement....
. At the age of 10, his enthusiasm for running was noticed by athletics coach Poon Kin-lui, who then began to formally train So.
Paralympic career
His first Paralympic appearance came at the 1996 games1996 Summer Paralympics
The 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, USA were held from 16 August to 25 August. It was the first Paralympics to get mass media sponsorship, and had a budget of USD $81 million....
in Atlanta, where he won a gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
as part of the men's 4×100 m relay team
Relay race
During a relay race, members of a team take turns running, orienteering, swimming, cross-country skiing, biathlon, or ice skating parts of a circuit or performing a certain action. Relay races take the form of professional races and amateur games...
in the T34-37 classification.
Over the course of the next two summer Paralympic Games, 2000
2000 Summer Paralympics
The 2000 Paralympic Games were held in Sydney, Australia, from 18 October to 29 October. The eleventh Summer Paralympic Games, an estimated 3800 athletes took part in the Sydney programme. They commenced with the opening ceremony on 18 October 2000...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and 2004
2004 Summer Paralympics
The 2004 Summer Paralympics were held in Athens, Greece, from September 17 to September 28. The twelfth Paralympic Games, an estimated 4,000 athletes took part in the Athens programme, with ages ranging from 11 to 66. Paralympic events had already taken place during the 2004 Summer Olympics as...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, 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
2008 Summer Olympics torch relay
The 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay was run from March 24 until August 8, 2008, prior to the 2008 Summer Olympics, with the theme of "one world, one dream". Plans for the relay were announced on April 26, 2007, in Beijing, China...
as the Olympic flame
Olympic Flame
The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, where a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. The fire was reintroduced at the 1928...
passed through Hong Kong on its way to Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. 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
Andy Lau
Andy Lau MH, JP is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer, actor, and film producer. Lau has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maintaining a successful singing career at the same time...
, a Hong Kong entertainer and the singer of the Beijing Paralympic Games
2008 Summer Paralympics
The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, the thirteenth Paralympics, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to September 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao....
official theme song "Flying with the Dream", who gave him a full-time job with the flexibility to allow him to train for the Games.
At the 2008 Summer Paralympics
2008 Summer Paralympics
The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, the thirteenth Paralympics, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to September 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao....
games, So led the Hong Kong team
Hong Kong, China at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
Hong Kong competed under the name "Hong Kong, China" at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, People's Republic of China. Hong Kong sent 21 athletes to compete in eight events at the Beijing Games...
into the Bird's Nest Stadium
Beijing National Stadium
Beijing National Stadium, also known officially as the National Stadium, or colloquially as the Bird's Nest , is a stadium in Beijing, China. The stadium was designed for use throughout the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.-History:...
during the opening ceremony as the flagbearer
2008 Summer Paralympics national flag bearers
During the Parade of Nations at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, athletes from each participating country paraded in the stadium, preceded by their flag. The flag was borne by a sportsperson from that country chosen either by the National Paralympic Committee or by the...
. During competition he first won a bronze medal in the 100 m
Athletics at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
Athletics at the 2008 Summer Paralympics were held in Beijing National Stadium from September 8 to September 17. There were 160 gold medals in this sport.-Classification:Athletes are given a classification depending on the type and extent of their disability...
, 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 on the way to winning the gold medal, making him the Paralympic champion in that event for the third successive occasion. After the race he said he had been ill before the competition 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".
So is the current world record holder in both the 100 and 200 m men's T36 classification.
External links
- Athlete biography at The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games