At the Hangzhou 2022 Para Asian Games, athletes with diverse stories delivered a ‘golden touch’.They showed how people with and without disabilities can coexist and realize new dreams through Para sports.Korean athletes won three medals in cycling and table tennis.In cycling, Kim Jung-bin (Sport Class B, Jeonbuk Para Cycling Federation) won three gold medals in the 4,000-meter individual pursuit, 18.5-kilometer road solo and 69-kilometer individual road race for the visually impaired (MB).The blind athlete raced with his able-bodied partner, Yoon Jung-heon (Jeonbuk Para Cycling Federation).On a two-seater bicycle (tandem cycle), Yoon held the handlebars while Kim pedaled behind him.
Yoon is a firefighter (Namyangju Fire Department) by profession. He took time out of his day to train with Kim and compete in international competitions.Kim has an unusual background of playing guitar in a band. The medal was special because of the unusual combination of a firefighter and a guitarist, and because it was won by a disabled athlete and a non-disabled athlete.Kim Jin-hyuk, the team’s head coach, recognized Kim and Yoon as the tournament’s Most Valuable Players (MVPs).”The two athletes, who lived outside the athletes’ village (due to the distance of the stadium), overcame the hot weather to win the three medals,” Kim said, adding, “It’s meaningful that they did it together with their 슬롯게이밍 non-disabled partners.”