Hong Kong wheelchair climber Lai Chi-wai ready to summit Nina Tower skyscraper
- The 38-year-old Lai Chi-wai will attempt to climb 320-metre Nina Tower in Tsuen Wan, using only his upper body strength
- The challenge will be fundraiser for spinal cord patients to utilise exoskeletons, with target of HK$3 million
Paraplegic Hong Kong climber Lai Chi-wai says the car accident that left him without the use of his legs ended up making him a better person.
“Before the accident, I was pretty self-centred,” said the 38-year-old. “As a professional sportsman, I mainly focused on how to excel in all championships.”
Before the accident, which happened in 2011 when he was 28, Lai was at one point in his rock climbing career ranked eighth in the world. He was the four-time winner of the Asian Rock Climbing Championship, and the world’s first Chinese winner at the X Games.
Lai said he had a one-track mind and was so focused on his career he rarely thought about others.
“After the accident, I started to broaden my view,” he said. “I would start to think about what other people think, how to collaborate with others as I need other people’s help. Gradually, more people came to support me in what I hoped to accomplish.”