actbiggy
A Chinese Paralympian and double amputee who rediscovered how to “walk” with the help of a basketball proceeded to inspire her country by winning a national swim match
CREDIT: ZHANG CHENG/CHINA DAILY
Qian Hongyan, 25, made headlines for the first time more than 15 years ago when she was pictured sitting in a makeshift wheelchair built from half a basketball and moving around with wooden-handled paddles.
Recently, she was back on the front pages after winning a silver medal in the 100-meter breaststroke SB5 at China’s 11th National Games for Persons with Disabilities in Xi’an, in the northern province of Shaanxi. Her 1:51:96 time contributed to a long list of accomplishments.
Who Is Qian Hongyan?
Qian, popularly known as Basketball Girl China, is a 4-year-old girl from Lulling County in southwestern Yunnan Province who was struck by a truck and lost both legs. Her grandfather ripped open a basketball and lined it with cotton before putting her inside to help train her to walk.
It got her the nickname “Basketball Girl” and sparked a nationwide campaign to help her impoverished family and crowdfund prosthetic limbs. She went to Beijing for treatment, and her story is credited with bringing attention to some of the country’s poor living and educational conditions.
How Did Qian Hongyan Go Viral Recently?
Qian joined a local impaired swimming club when she was 11 years old in 2007. She surprised the public two years later when she won three gold medals in Yunnan’s eighth impaired games. She won 1 gold and 2 silvers in the National Games the following year.
The young Chinese swimmer competed in the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, where she finished ninth in the 100-meter breaststroke and didn’t go ahead. On the other hand, her emergence earned her a new moniker: “Fish Girl.”
When she’s not swimming, Qian works at a desk job in Yunnan. She had planned to be a member of China’s swimming squad at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, which ended in Tokyo. She didn’t make the team, but she left an impression by coming third in the 400-meter final at the 2019 Tianjin National Games.
Recently, the Chinese publication China Daily published photographs of Qian’s silver-medal swim, which has documented her “transition” from “Basketball Girl” to “Fish Girl” as the country has progressively emerged from poverty over the last two decades.
The eleventh National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the eighth National Special Olympic Games were conducted simultaneously last year. Both events began on October 22 and will conclude on Thursday and Friday. 1 out of 4 On January 5, 2005, in Luliang, Yunnan, China, an eight-year-old Qian Hongyan crawls down steps with two homemade paddles and a piece of a basketball at her home.
Read Also:A Baby Model with Syndrome appeared in an Ad that goes viral now
