A Hong Kong wheelchair fencer was awarded the best newcomer to the Paralympic movement in light of her stunning debut in the Athens games, where she lunged and parried her way to four gold medals.
Yu Chui-yee, a 21-year-old from Sham Shui Po, won the foil and epee individual events and then went on to help her team take two golds.
'I am so delighted to win this Best Games Debut award. It is such a great honour,' she said at the International Paralympic Committee's general assembly in Beijing. 'It is so nice to have your efforts recognised, not only in Hong Kong but all over the world.'
Yu, who had one leg amputated above the knee after a tumour developed when she was 11, took up fencing five years ago and has been unbeaten in major tournaments since July 2002.
While Hong Kong were 17th in the overall medals tally in the Athens Paralympics, they were the dominant force in wheelchair fencing, taking eight of the 15 gold medals on offer.
In the run-up to Athens, Yu and her teammates were put through a meticulous training programme in the Sports Institute in Sha Tin. 'We have great coaches and the team put in a lot of work before Athens. We trained at least five days a week, often for five hours each day,' she said. 'So it was very rewarding to see all that effort pay off.'
Rutger Sturkenboom, a member of the sport's committee that selected the winners, said Yu's debut had been 'absolutely excellent'.