How sport lights up the life of a 52-year-old blind athlete

Following the saucy tune of his portable radio on the rubber track, Tian Longbing, a blind 52-year-old athlete, tried to pick up the nearby puck for his next throw.

Using music to gauge direction, the discs flew out of his hand and returned to the center of the field again and again. For over two decades, Tian has spent his days this way.

As a member of the provincial handicapped athletics team in central China’s Hubei province, Tian will compete for the eighth time in the Chinese National Games for People with Disabilities.

“I never thought about retiring. As long as I can throw, I will continue to be on the pitch,” said Tian.

DISAPPEARED LIGHT

Although Tian has been blind for 28 years, he still remembers the look of a sports arena. “There is an oval green lawn in the middle and a red plastic track around it. I will never forget it for the rest of my life,” said Tian.

For him, the sports arena is the starting point of his dream and the stage of his life.

In 1969, Tian was born in the mountains of Hubei’s Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. With a strong passion for sports since childhood, Tian joined the prefecture wrestling team at 13. And in 1989, when a provincial wrestling team was established, Tian represented Hubei and brought back a gold medal in the national invitation wrestling and judo tournament in Tianjin.

But as Tian looked towards a bright future, something unexpected happened. During a basketball training session in 1989, his right eye was accidentally hit by a defender as he jumped up to shoot. During the subsequent treatment, both of his eyes cross-infected and made him blind.

For a long time, Tian refused to accept the fact that he could no longer see anything and locked himself inside. “I was really upset. I kept bumping into obstacles and getting bruised all over. Blind, I didn’t know what I could do, and I felt my life was over,” he added.

SWITCH ON

Tian’s passion for life was rekindled when he accidentally came into contact with disabled sport. In 1995, Enshi’s Disabled Federation invited Tian to represent the prefecture in the provincial games. Tian then began to learn judo, the techniques of which were similar to wrestling.

“Training after losing my sight was much more difficult than before, but I felt like my eyes could see the world again. Sport is the light of my life,” said Tian, ​​who won the silver medal in judo for China at the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney.

As Tian grew older, judo became more and more demanding for him, but he didn’t want to interrupt his sporting career. After a thorough analysis, Tian moved on to discus throwing, javelin throwing and shot put.

“I knew little about these events. I had only seen people compete, but I had never learned to do it on my own. Also, the three events require different skills, so it was difficult to get started,” recalled Tian.

Without sight, Tian could only use his hands to feel his coach’s movement over and over. After each day of training, he would rethink every technical detail in his mind and even collect branches by the side of the road to practice throwing. “I thought about training so much that I dreamed of it at night,” he said.

After thousands of workouts and with the guidance of his coach, Tian has gradually reached his highest level. “My body often ached after training, but because I like it, I can overcome any difficulty,” said Tian.

Over the past two decades, Tian has won many medals in international tournaments, including the IBSA World Games, the World Athletics Championships, and the Far East and South Pacific Disabled Games.

FIRE TRANSMISSION

At the age of 52, Tian’s ambition for the sport has not diminished. To prepare for the National Games for the Disabled, Tian has remained at his training base in the city of Huangshi, more than 600 kilometers from his home, since August 2020. He must consolidate his strength by tearing, pulling and pushing the barbells beyond 40 kilograms every day.

“Many people think that I live a difficult life, and I have the opportunity to work in easier and higher paying jobs, but I don’t want them. My ideal stage is on the field. I still want to get on the podium this year.” Tian added.

Sport sheds light on Tian’s blind world, and he is also willing to be a fire to bring light and warmth to others.

Along with Tian, ​​there are also five disabled athletes training in Huangshi. They are deaf, physically disabled or have cerebral palsy. Tian, ​​as a veteran of the sport, always encourages them to move forward with relentless enthusiasm.

Zheng Han, 32, is in a wheelchair. He started learning discus in 2019. In his daily training, Tian always helps push his wheelchair and carry heavy equipment. “Tian is a brother to me. He is willing to lend a hand and shares many of his advice. He is a true role model, following his training program at such an advanced age,” said Zheng.

“I have long accepted the reality of blindness. My only regret is that I was unable to get our national anthem to play in international competitions,” said Tian. “By staying true to the stadium, I want to encourage younger athletes to train harder, and maybe one day they will be able to realize every athlete’s common dream, which is to raise the national flag and play the national anthem.”

Manufactured by Xinhua Global Service