Li has broken two world records, one of them her own. Photo: Handout
Source:
https://scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3169096/former-chinese-champion-disabled-cyclist China Personalities
Former Chinese champion disabled cyclist finds new track in life with live-streaming seafood sales
- Li, who had her left leg amputated as a child, has a disabled husband and a son with a serious eye disease with high treatment costs
- At one point the family was massively in debt and things were so bad they were forced to survive on just 70 yuan (US$11.08) a week
Li has won a total of 46 medals, including 10 gold medals in both domestic and international competitions, but fell on hard times after her career ended. Photo: SCMP artwork
A former champion disabled cyclist who won several world championships for China has found her new track in life by live-streaming to sell seafood.
Li Yuanyuan started live-streaming in mid-2019 when her husband lost his job and the family’s debts reached more than 300,000 yuan (US$47,478). At one time the couple were forced to borrow money to pay the medical expenses for their son who suffers from a serious eye disease.
At their lowest point, they relied on just 70 yuan (US$11.08) to survive a whole week, Li told news site shobserver.com.
Now Li and her husband, who is also disabled, have managed to repay their debts and Li has become an online celebrity and role model for others, the report said.
Li was born in 1986 in a rural family in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, eastern China. She had her left leg amputated at the age of 13 because of a road accident.
After three years of rehabilitation, Li started wearing a prosthetic leg and later became a bike athlete.
At a world disabled cyclist championship event in the Czech Republic in 2003, Li not only won a gold medal but also broke the world record by riding 500 metres in 43 seconds.
She broke the world record again in 2005 at an open tournament in Holland when she got her previous time down to just 41 seconds, even though she had been suffering from acute appendicitis just one week before.
Li has won a total of 46 medals, including 10 gold medals in both domestic and international competitions.
Despite an impressive international career Li struggled to translate her success on the bike track into a decent job after she retired. Photo: Handout
After retiring from competitive sport in 2012, she took various odd jobs such as selling insurance. Being disabled and lacking high academic achievements meant that she struggled to land well-paid jobs, said Li, as reported by the Yangtze Evening News.
She finally decided to sell seafood online in 2019 when the live-streaming business was booming in the country.
“I am the least-famous world champion on Douyin,” she said in her first video released on the platform. “After retiring from sport, I want to earn my own living with my hands.”
Li had the idea of trying her hand at selling seafood online when she saw how well live streaming businesses were doing in 2019. Photo: Handout
She recalls her hand was pricked by a crab in her first session of live-streaming. But the 200 orders from the audience thrilled her and gave her the courage to stick with the business.
Li makes more than 10,000 yuan (US$1,582) a month by live-streaming on Douyin, where she has 144,000 followers. She is also keen to share her experiences with other disabled people.
Champion mum Li with her family. Photo: Handout
“Through live-streaming, I hope to help more disabled people and give them advice on making money,” said Li.
“I won’t bow to fate. The competition in life is still ongoing,” she said.