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| Tang Xuemei is a Paralympic gold-medallist in sitting volleyball Handout China's Sitting Volleyball Women's Team/AFP |
But 13 years on from the trauma of losing
part of her leg in a disaster that left nearly 90,000 people dead or missing,
she is a Paralympic gold medallist and will again represent China in Tokyo in
sitting volleyball.
She will do so with a smile on her face and
a resounding message for others with disabilities.
“We are no worse than others,” Tang, taking
time out of training in Shanghai for the August-September Paralympics, told AFP
in written remarks.
“Even if we have such an unfortunate
experience, we will still face it with a smile and work harder and bravely to
pursue our dreams.”
The 7.9-magnitude Sichuan earthquake of
2008 is seared into China’s collective memory not only because so many people
died but also because children and teenagers, including Tang, were prominent
among the victims.
An outpouring of grief soon turned to fury
as it emerged that thousands of children were killed in 7,000 schools that
collapsed, sparking allegations that corruption had led to shoddy building
work.
Now 27, Tang declined to answer questions
about the fateful moment the quake brought her school down — the issue remains
highly sensitive in China even today.
But in a recent interview with the official
website of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), she described in
detail the experience of running for her life and the dormitory floor
disappearing beneath her feet.
When she came to, the then 14-year-old
found herself buried, her left leg pinned down by rubble.
She would wait in eerily dark silence for
28 hours before she was rescued.
“Between life and death, you only think of
the people that matter to you the most,” Tang told the IPC.
And thinking of my parents, I knew that I
cannot die, I had to live.”
Heart-wrenching decision
In her remarks to AFP, Tang states
matter-of-factly that she had part of her leg amputated and that “the state
provided help for the children affected by the earthquake”.
But her comments masked the heartache that
came with that life-changing decision.
Her parents begged doctors not to amputate,
fearing what kind of future Tang would have as a disabled person.
In the end, it was the teenage Tang who
told them that if they did not sign the consent form, she would sign it herself
because she feared she would die without the operation.
But with her impairment, Tang became
withdrawn, her path in life unclear.
Tang picks up the story of what happened
next and how it ultimately led her to where she is today — a gold medallist at
London in 2012 and eyeing more success in Tokyo.
“I put on a prosthetic limb and the joy of
standing up again alleviated my worries about the future,” she told AFP.
“Fortunately, I came across sitting
volleyball by chance after taking part in a competition for disabled children
and teenagers.”
Tang, who had always been sporty, was
immediately struck by the confidence the young volleyball players exuded
despite their disabilities.
She would later go on to win a place on
Shanghai’s sitting volleyball team and honours followed with China, who should
be serious title contenders again in Tokyo.
Tang is relishing the prospect of “winning
glory for my country”.
But more than that, sitting volleyball gave
her renewed self-worth and she sees the Paralympics as “a higher platform to
realise more the value of life”.
“Sport can help us rehabilitate physically
and mentally,” she added.