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Sang Lan will cheer for China's gymnastics team
2000-08-30
BEIJING - Though confined to a wheelchair, China's former champion gymnast Sang Lan still sets competitive sparks flying when it comes to her former team's chances at the Sydney Olympics. ``I think the team has been doing great and gold should be well within reach,'' the 19-year-old Sang was quoted by AP as saying Tuesday, flashing a shy but confident smile. Known as a virtuoso of the vaulting horse, Sang could have been among those marching behind China's red flag at Sydney. Those hopes died after she broke her neck while making a practice vault at the 1998 Goodwill Games in New York. After surgery to stabilize her neck and 10 months of rehabilitation in New York, Sang returned home and maintained a steady regimen of study and physical therapy. She corresponds with friends around the world by e-mail. The Chinese women's team placed third at the world championships last October in Tianjin, China, and is among the top contenders for a team medal at Sydney. China also hopes for individual medals on the beam and bars. Sang warned, however, that competition from the United States and Russia is likely to be fierce. Romania, the world champions, also are favored for the gold. Sang plans to watch the competition on television, but said she does not expect to feel sorry that she will not be taking part. ``I won't be sad. They're all my friends and I hope they will win,'' she said. Sang has no feeling below her chest, and initially had little function in her arms. Though her medical condition has not changed since her return to China, Sang said she has learned to do more with the functions left intact. She deftly grasped a reporter's name card between her fingers. Sang said she hopes to attend university in another year, though is undecided on what subject to study. On Tuesday, she was among young handicapped Chinese meeting reporters prior to touring the United States in a cultural showcase. Sang will be reciting a poem she wrote in English during the 10-show tour and said she is looking forward to seeing the friends and physicians she met following her accident.
Sang Lan will cheer for China's gymnastics team (2000-08-30)Injured Gymnast's Spirit Not Broken (1999-12-18)Sang Lan: Determination, infectious optimism in a broken body (1999-12-18)
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