RIO DE JANEIRO : One can’t help but listen in awe to what this 20-year-old girl has gone through in life. It’s the story of an athlete who surmounted extreme adversity to win a medal at the Olympics. Just across the border, to the north of India, there’s a tale not too unfamiliar to our country. It’s the heart-wrenching story of a Chinese gymnast.
The diminutive Shang Chunsong, who looks like someone in her early teens, hopes to ensure her visually impaired brother gets back his eyesight. Her parents are construction workers and she grew up in the poor village of ShiYanPing. Akin to most poverty-stricken families she too had problems growing up. Foremost was malnutrition, due to which her growth was affected.
When she went about her chores in the Gymnastic Hall here on August 9, there was thunderous applause. She was meticulous in her execution, almost flawless. China managed to win bronze in the all-round team event. Chunsong had a fever and did not practice for almost five days, but did not want to miss the event. “I was scared when they told me I might be replaced,” she said later.
Lei is six years older than Chunsong and his illness was initially curable, but the family could not afford to give him the necessary medical care. All she wants is some money to restore his vision. As a child, she had to climb mountains to reach school. Lei would carry her on his back for several miles.
At the age of seven, Chunsong was selected to join the Gymnastic Centre in Yongshun county. That her family could barely afford a meal, meant there was no money to support her. Lei had to quit school at 13 and started working as a masseur to fund her dream. It was not until 2006, when she made it to the provincial team, that she started earning. When she earned a fair bit after winning the nationals in 2013, the first thing she did was buy a house for her brother.
“My brother did a lot of things for me and I will never forget that,” she said. “I lived in the countryside. We didn’t have any money and he sacrificed a lot for me. He gave up studies so that I could pursue gymnastics. My dream is to find a way to cure my brother’s eyes. I want him to see how beautiful the world is.”
