Before Hong Kong Olympian Cheung Ka-long came So Wa-wai, the retired sprinter with six Paralympic gold medals who inspired the new biopic, Zero to Hero
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Born with jaundice that affected his hearing and the balance of his limbs, So was selected to compete in the Paralympic T36 classification for athletes with cerebral palsy, and, at the age of 15, took home his first gold in the men’s T35-38 4x100 relay race at the Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games.
Though his victory took place just two weeks after Lee’s claim to gold in the same year, his airtime and prize money of US$38,500 (HK$300,000) was far from what the able-bodied windsurfer received, who was awarded an amount 10 times higher.
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“My only memory was of Coca-Cola, which sponsored the event,” So once told HK Magazine about the 1996 Paralympic Games. “We had a free and unlimited supply of the drink. I spent most of my time drinking Coca-Cola: so much that my coach reprimanded me!”
His determination landed him six golds, three silvers and three bronzes across five Paralympic Games, plus a succession of shining accolades in championships worldwide.
In the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, he was a flag-bearer for the opening ceremony at the Bird’s Nest Stadium. Perhaps as a result of the mounting pressures of fame and the publicity he received after Hong Kong celebrity Andy Lau took him under his wing – the star befriended So and even gave him a job, according to HK Magazine – his performance was disappointing in his first two events.
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His final race, the men’s 200m T36 sprint, was his only chance for a comeback – and he shocked the world by finishing in an electric 24.64 seconds, breaking both personal and world records that he still holds today.
After 20 years on the racetrack, So finally hung up his running shoes five years ago due to a chronic back injury that capped his 100m sprints at 13 seconds.
Despite an early retirement at 34 years old, So surely continues to inspire athletes today.
- Nicknamed ‘the magic kid’, So took home his first Paralympic gold at age 15 – just two weeks after legendary windsurfer Lee Lai-shan’s win
- Pals with Canto-pop star Andy Lau and the subject of a film starring Sandra Ng, So’s legacy is sure to be felt during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games today