top of page
  • Chris McMillan

Former paralympian pursues welfare improvement for the disabled

Xinhua


26th December 2020


Feature: Former paralympian pursues welfare improvement for the disabled


After retiring from China's national women's sitting volleyball team, Yang Yanling relaunched her career in the welfare services for people with disabilities.


The 40-year-old, three-time Paralympic gold winner (2004, 2008 and 2012), chose to leave the Olympic court after London Paralympics and returned to her hometown in Jiayuguan City, northwest China's Gansu Province.


Born with congenital hip dislocation, Yang was a sensitive and introverted child.


"I was aware of my own 'difference' since I was young, as I could not walk or run like others. It was hard for me to face my physical defect. I was so anxious in every PE class and avoided communicating with classmates," recalled Yang.


Later, by chance, she was introduced to join the provincial women's sitting volleyball team in Gansu in 2001, composed of athletes with amputations, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries and other physical disabilities.


http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-12/26/c_139620087.htm


2 views

Recent Posts

See All

China Daily 30th May 2023 Son follows father's selfless footsteps to Africa Thirty years ago, 53-year-old Jia Cen was working as a pediatrician in Rwanda as part of a team sent by China on a two-year

China Daily 26th May 2023 Hangzhou hairdresser is a deft cut above the rest Within the unassuming confines of what appears to be an ordinary salon, a note affixed to a mirror can easily capture one's

bottom of page