Chiang Chih-chung

Chiang Chih-chung (Chinese: 江志忠; pinyin: Jiāng Zhìzhōng) is a Taiwanese javelin thrower. He is Chinese Taipei's most successful representative at the Paralympic Games, having won two gold medals, in 2000 and 2004. He competes in the F13 category for athletes with visual disabilities. He set a world record at the Sydney Games with a throw of 57.28 metres, before setting a new world record in Athens with a throw of 59.38 metres.[1]

Chiang Chih-chung
Medal record
Paralympic Games
Javelin (F13)
2000 Sydney
2004 Athens

At the International Blind Sports Federation World Championships and Games in Brazil in 2007, Chiang won a gold medal in the javelin, silver in the discus and bronze in shot put. As of January 2008, he had won seven gold medals in international competitions.[1]

In 2004, Chiang was awarded the Order of Brilliant Star with Cravat in recognition of his Paralympic performances.[2]

He was due to represent Chinese Taipei again at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, but was barred from attending by the International Paralympic Committee. The Taipei Times reported that no reason was given for the ban, even after the Chinese Taipei Paralympic Committee had requested an explanation from the IPC. A representative of the CTPC stated that the People's Republic of China may have "interfered for political reasons" to prevent Chiang from participating in the Games.[3] The Taipei Times article was subsequently reproduced on the Taiwanese government's website.[4]

Chiang is an Aboriginal Taiwanese, of the Bunun people, and originates from Kaohsiung County. He developed a severe visual impairment after getting cement residue and sweat in his eyes while working on a construction site. He was subsequently diagnosed with near-total vision loss.[1]

References
  1. "Taiwanese athletes with disabilities are turning in stellar performances for themselves and their country" Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine, Taiwan Review, January 6, 2008
  2. "Marathon-Day Traffic Won't Win Medals", New York Daily News, October 8, 2004
  3. "Local javelin ace banned from Beijing Paralympics", Taipei Times, September 3, 2008
  4. "taiwanheadlines.gov.tw". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2008-09-03.
  • Picture: Chiang at the Republic of China's 93rd National Day celebrations, in 2004
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.