When I was younger, I drew.
Then he took up athletics.
“It was hard because I was out of breath when I ran,” he says, “but as I kept at it, I got stronger and stronger, and I got more competitive.” When he was 16, an acquaintance suggested fencing.
“I thought it’s better to try than not to try and regret it,” he says, so he picked up a sword.
“I liked the feeling of holding and stabbing,” she says, adding that she also got a kick out of moving her body a lot and attacking her opponent’s gaps to score points.
This is the story of Korean wheelchair fencer Kwon Hyo-kyung (Hongseong Guncheong).
Kwon was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when she was six months old. After studying art and athletics, she took up wheelchair fencing in 2016. 카지노사이트
Unlike able-bodied fencing, where athletes can move freely, wheelchair fencers compete with their wheelchairs secured to a frame, limiting their lower body movement.
Because of this, split-second speed is crucial, as well as a high level of psychological warfare to deceive the opponent. Kwon’s main sport is epee.
The entire upper body is an effective target, and the first athlete to strike scores a point.
“There were many times when I cried while fencing because my body was not in my control,” she says, “I cried because I was upset because I hurt my hand, I cried because I was injured and couldn’t do more exercises…”.
He lives alone in Hongseong-gun, where his team is based, and calls his mom when he feels down.
That was the case when he won his first gold medal at the World Cup in Pisa, Italy, last year.
He was having a hard time with the expectant looks of people around him, but his mom told him, “You won a gold medal, just enjoy this moment.”
“My mom gives me a lot of hopeful words,” Kwon said.
I communicate with my family a lot, and they really like to see me fencing,” Kwon said.
His older sister, who is three years his junior, and his twin brother, who is not disabled, are also strong supporters.
When he gets into a slump, he watches the Ghibli animation Kiki the Witch Courier.
“I empathize with Kiki because I see her go from good to bad and then fall into a slump because she can’t ride her broom,” he says.
She empathizes with Kiki’s feelings, gains courage, and searches for answers.
“In the past, when I was in a slump, it was hard and painful, but now I think it passes.
His motto now is “Let’s have fun.”
“The one who enjoys it wins,” he says. “
The one who has fun wins,” he says, “and I feel that only when I am good and fun can I have passion and improve my skills.
Kwon’s strength is his quickness.
She plays aggressively and is very active in her wheelchair.
“Her positive thinking and energy are her biggest strengths,” said Park Kyu-hwa, the national wheelchair fencing coach (Hongseong County).
This is Hangzhou’s first appearance at the Para Asian Games.
She warmed up by winning a bronze medal at the World Cup in Italy in early October.
“I want to come to Hangzhou with no regrets and learn a lot,” Kwon said.
Ultimately, “my biggest goal is to sing the national anthem on the Paralympic podium.”
Wheelchair fencing has left twenty-two-year-old Hyo-Kyung Kwon with multiple scars on her right arm.
He competes with his disabled right hand secured to his wheelchair, and moving his upper body around is bound to leave scars.
His left arm, where he holds his sword, is tattooed with a small butterfly.
The butterfly tattoo is said to mean ‘new beginnings’ and ‘change’. Kwon says.
“At first, I didn’t even realize that fencing is a sport that involves holding a sword, but as I fenced, I often experienced various things.
I feel like fencing is the first step to another life, so I feel like it’s another step in my life.
If you love sports, you should be active regardless of your disability. Opportunities only come when you move.
If you stay still, you can’t catch anything.”
The Hangzhou Para Asian Games will kick off on the 22nd.
Kwon Hyo-kyung will start her first Para Asian Games with the flechette on the 23rd. She will compete for a medal in the epee on the 25th.