Mission life: THE KUKMIN DAILY

On Disabled Persons' Day, Figure Skater Lee Jeong-hyeon Dreams of Special Olympic Games

2015-04-21 11:01

On April 16, figure skater with disabilities Lee Jeong-hyeon (photo, 22, 3rd degree intellectual and developmental disabilities) showed her spins, spirals, and various other skills at Mokdong Ice Rink.

She began her career as a roller skater in 2009 when she entered Sangam High School in Mapo-gu, Seoul. She is challenged in linguistic ability due to her intellectual disability, but athletically she is outstanding. In 2011, during her senior year, she participated in the Athens Special Olympics World Summer Games as a Korean national player and won three gold medals in the 100m, 300m, and relay sections of the women's roller skating games.

Her high school teacher introduced her to the national disability figure skating team coach, Lee Tae-ri, to see if she could change her sport to figure skating, because roller skating is not always included as an official event of the Summer Special Olympic Games. In the fall of that year, she began figure skating.

Lee could not get continuous training, however, because her parents were raising three children on a limited income. Lee's father has a 6th degree spinal disability, which makes it difficult for him to get a stable long-term job. Her mother has an assistant's job at a restaurant. Lee's sister also has a spinal disability, and had to begin earning money right out of high school. Finally Lee gave up her college education and her figure skating training for about a year, and worked at a restaurant, a publishing company, and a printing factory. Her disability prevented her also from getting a stable job.

During this time, Coach Lee proposed that she participate in the 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games held in Pyeongchang, Korea. She was suffering from asthma then, as well as from basic financial difficulty. But the parents of fellow skaters who knew her capability encouraged and helped her, and she made it onto the training team just three weeks before the Games. She devoted herself to the training despite all the challenging conditions, and won a silver medal in the individual figure skating event.

She returned to daily life again after winning the medal. In September last year, however, she faced a new beginning when she was chosen for the "low-income sports player with disabilities support project," sponsored by Miral Welfare Foundation and KB Kookmin Card Co. Mapo Miral Mission Group's vice director Kim Gi-hun had recommended her as a project recipient, and advised her to begin studying in the Social Welfare Department of Kukje Cyber University last year, so that she can work as a social worker after her retirement as a player.

Lee has a hope that is just as precious for her as winning the gold medal in figure skating at the upcoming Special Olympics. She said, "I hope Mapo Miral Mission Group, which has led my way so far and is providing me support, can help more persons with disabilities in a larger space than now. And I hope more people will embrace persons with disabilities with love, instead of looking at us with prejudiced eyes."

Reporter Yang Minkyeong (grieg@kmib.co.kr), with Yeara Ahn-Park (yap@kmib.co.kr)
Photo by intern reporter Heo Ran


Click here for the original article in Korean

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