From shadow to rainbow, South Korean shooter Kim Im-yeon finds hope in shooting

Source: Xinhua | 09-09-2008 21:30

By sportswriter Bai Xu

BEIJING, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- With her son's photo dangling on the right arm of her wheelchair, the shooter from South Korea was smiling all the time -- when she was running for International Paralympic Committee membership, competing on shooting ranges, and mounting the podium for silver medal after the women's 50-meter three positions on Tuesday.

However, when asked about her past experience, 41-year-old Kim Im-yeon chocked.

"I, I thought of committing suicide in the past," she bleated bitterly.

CONQUERING HERSELF

Holder of four world records in air rifle events, the five-time Paralympian became disabled at the age of four when she contracted polio.

Since then, she had been lying in bed all day, with a nanny bringing food to her.

But the memory of carefree days was transient.

When she reached the school age, Kim found the first conundrum she faced was to sit up.

"My parents fixed handles everywhere in the room," she said.

This method proved effective and some time later, she could sit like others.

Then here came the next problem: many normal schools closed their gates to her.

"People suggested that I attend schools especially for the disabled, but my parents refused." Kim said that to date, she was still grateful to her parents' such decision.

Fortunately, they managed to find one. Every day, her mom carried her on the back, trudging in the rain or under the scorching sun. Talking about this experience, the shooter had tears welling in her eyes.

Yet the devotion of her parents didn't bring an end to Kim's suffering.

"There were always kids surrounding and pointing at me, laughing at my disability," she recalled.

This hurt the girl a lot, hence she always shut herself in the bedroom after school and shed tears.

Her depression reached the climax in one day, when the autistic climbed to top of a building next to her school, one of her legs already strode over the guardrail.

"After several attempts to jump down, I found myself not brave enough," she said, "and if I did jump, my parents would be heartbroken."

The strong-willed girl thus made a decision: "I will work hard so that they would not look down upon me anymore!"

Soon she developed a hobby in painting, and some of her pictures won domestic prizes. Encouragement from teachers and acception of classmates gradually boosted her confidence.