Missing sailor Guo Chuan’s wife in tears as she accepts special sports spirit prize at China’s Laureus Awards
The world record-breaking skipper of Qingdao China has not been seen since October 2016 while trying to set a new trans-Pacific mark
China sport has paid a special tribute to a man who is a national sailing hero but who has been missing for more than one year – by honouring him at the country’s Laureus Awards in Beijing.
While the big names such as swimmer Sun Yang and table tennis star Ding Ning took the main titles, a special sports spirit award was given to China’s record-breaking sailing pioneer Guo Chuan – who went missing on October 25 last year during an attempt at the world record for crossing the Pacific Ocean solo.
A 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean Race participant, Guo set a world record in 2015 when he and his crew of four sailors and one media personnel completed a 13-day sail across the dangerous Northeast Passage in the Arctic Ocean from Murmansk, in Russia, to the Bering Strait aboard their 97-foot trimaran Qingdao China.
Watch Guo Chuan aboard Qingdao China before he went missing
The award was collected by Guo’s wife Xiao Li at the ceremony on Wednesday night, who was greeted by rapturous applause from the audience. An emotional Xiao, who hasn’t given up hope of finding her husband, said the spirit award epitomised Guo’s philosophy on life.