Jin Jing
| File:Jinjingairport.jpg |
Jin Jing (Chinese: 金晶; Pinyin: Jīn Jīng; born in 1981 in Hefei, Anhui, China[1] ) is a Chinese female Paralympic fencer. She is notable as a torchbearer carrying the Olympic torch amid political protests and physical scuffles during the 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay in Paris, France[2].
Background and family
Jin Jing's parents are wage earners. Her father is Jin Jiansheng (Chinese: 金建生), a rusticated youth who moved from Shanghai to Anhui during the Cultural Revolution. In Anhui, Mr. Jin married Liu Huayao (Chinese: 刘华瑶), Jin Jing's mother. Jin Jing was born in 1981, in Hefei, Anhui.[1]
Jin had part of her right leg amputated in 1989 when she was in elementary school after a malignant tumor was found on her ankle and later underwent a year of chemotherapy.[1]
Jin Jing moved to Shanghai with her family in 1995 and learned Information technology in a technical secondary school. After graduation she worked as a telephone operator in a hotel in Shanghai.[1]
Career
On July 13, 2001, the day when Beijing was elected the host city for 2008 Summer Olympics, Jin Jing became a member of the Shanghai Wheelchair Fencing Team[3].
Her career as a fencer is summarized as the following table:
| Year | Tournament | Venue | Event | Result | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Wheelchair Fencing World Cup | Warsaw, Poland | Women's Wheelchair Fencing Épée | 8 th | [3] |
| 2002 | FESPIC Games | Busan, South Korea | Women's Wheelchair Fencing Épée | silver | [4] |
| Women's Wheelchair Fencing Foil (Team) | bronze | ||||
| 2003 | 6th National Paralympic Games of the P.R. China | Nanjing, China | Women's Wheelchair Fencing Épée | bronze | [3] |
| Women's Wheelchair Fencing Foil (Team) | silver | ||||
| 2003 | World Wheelchair Games | Christchurch, New Zealand | Women's Wheelchair Fencing Épée | bronze | [3] |
| 2005 | National Table Tennis and Fencing Games | Nanjing, China | Women's Wheelchair Fencing Foil | bronze | [3] |
| 2005 | Wheelchair Fencing World Cup | Hong Kong | Women's Wheelchair Fencing Épée | 5 th | [3] |
| Women's Wheelchair Fencing Foil | 5 th |
2008 Summer Olympics torch relay
In 2007, Jin Jing turned up for the selective trial titled "You are the torchbearer" organized by CCTV and was chosen to be an Olympic torchbearer. On April 7, 2008, Jin Jing was the third torchbearer carrying the Olympic flame during the relay in Paris, amidst protests and physical attempts to snatch the torch by demonstrators.[5] When a protestor carrying the Tibetan flag broke through the police escort and rushed at her, she protected the torch with her body and suffered scratches to the chin and to her amputated right leg. During the relay in Paris she continued to protect her possession of the torch from attempts by protestors whom some speculate might have followed the relay from London to Paris[6]---and finished it with a bruise. Jin has been celebrated in the press of the People's Republic of China and on internet bulletin boards.[7][8][9][10] The official Chinese torch relay website described Jin as "heroic"[11] and an "angel",[12] whereas Western media gave her little mention, at least initially.
On April 10, 2008, the International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge said "What shocked me most is when someone tried to rob the torch off a wheelchair athlete, a disabled athlete who was unable to defend the torch. This is unacceptable." [13]
References
- ^ a b c d “最美火炬手”原是合肥女孩！ (in Chinese) anhuinews.com, April 10, 2008 Cite error: The named reference "family" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ China's 'Smiling Angel in Wheelchair' Ed Flanagan, NBC News, April 10, 2008
- ^ a b c d e f 残疾人火炬手金晶用残缺身体保护奥运圣火顺利传递 (in Chinese) The Official Website of the Torch Relay, April 8, 2008
- ^ "Handicapped Jin receives hero's welcome for protecting Olympic torch in Paris", op.cit.
- ^ "Torchbearer exhibits courage in Paris", official website of the Olympic torch relay, April 8, 2008
- ^ "在巴黎袭击金晶的人头天是职业肇事者"(in Chinese) sinovision.net April 10 2008
- ^ China's View of the Olympic Torch War Austin Ramzy, Time, April 9, 2008
- ^ "Handicapped Jin receives hero's welcome for protecting Olympic torch in Paris", Xinhua, April 10, 2008
- ^ "Touche: Assailant meets match", Lydia Chen, Shanghai Daily, April 9, 2008
- ^ "Handicapped girl wins respect for protecting sacred flame", CCTV, April 10, 2008
- ^ "Photos: Heroic torchbearer Jin Jing back in Beijing", official torch relay website, April 9, 2008
- ^ "Chinese angel comes home", official torch relay website, April 10, 2008
- ^ China rages over attack on disabled torch bearer Emma Graham-Harrison, The Guardian, April 11, 2008
External links
- Jin Jing's blog: Start from the spirit (in Chinese)
- Jin Jing's album
- Louisa Lim Protests Boost Chinese Torchbearers' Resolve National Public Radio, April 10,2008