|
Gymnast Honored at Times Square
1999-01-04
NEW YORK - Sang Lan, the 17-year-old Chinese gymnast paralyzed in a fall during the Goodwill Games, shared the job of lowering the ball in Times Square on New Year's Eve with Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. ``This is a special honor, not only to me but also the Chinese people,'' Lan said during a news conference Tuesday, trying out her newly learned English. ``I'm very happy. ... I love New York. I love you all.'' Each year an effort is made to honor an outstanding non-celebrity in the midnight ball-dropping ceremony, said Brendan Sexton, head of the Times Square Business Improvement District. Sang was chosen for her courage and good cheer in dealing with the injury she sustained in a fall during a practice vault July 21. ``She is a living example of everything we hope the human spirit represents,'' Sexton said. ``She fought back with courage and great good cheer.'' Lan, who has remained in New York to undergo rehabilitation, said she was working hard. ``I am doing my exercises every day at the hospital and at home,'' she said through her U.S. guardian and interpreter, Gina Liu. Before leaving the hospital in October, she was bolstered by visits from Celine Dion, Leonardo Di Caprio and Christopher Reeve. The traditional lighted ball descends a 77-foot flagpole atop One Times Square for a minute, reaching the bottom at the stroke of midnight.
Paralyzed Gymnast's Aide Robbed in NYC (1999-02-17)Paralyzed Gymnast Gets OK To Go Home (1999-02-03)Gymnast Honored at Times Square (1999-01-04)Games-Gymnastics-Chinese dedicate gold to paralysed team mate (1998-12-08)Games-Chinese gymasts rescue national pride as swimmers falter (1998-12-08)
| 
