A Dream of Handicapped Skier, Han Sang-min: to Participate in the National Winter Sports Games

“Whoosh” - a frictional sound heard whenever a ski cuts through snow. As a ski edge strokes into the snow, an exquisite turn was made. First left, then right and even jump…

Although a smooth traverse was not that different from other skiers, the difference here was that only one ski was used. Han Sang-min (25 years old, Korea National University of Physical Education) is the handicapped player who uses a mono ski, and skis by sitting and binding his legs.

The 85th National Winter Sports Games (NWSG) was opened in Muju on February 18. On that day, an exhibition game of handicapped skiers was held on the Silk Road course prior to the Alpine Ski Super Game. This exhibition game is held with every NWSG because there is no ski game yet for the disabled in Korea.

Four disabled skiers participated in the game in total. Kim Hong-bin and Jeong Won-du did not run the whole distance as they fell while jumping. But Han Sang-min, a member of the National team, won applause by running the whole distance smoothly with a time of 1 min. 43 sec. 74.

Even though he is about 30 seconds behind the winner’s record of 1 min. 13 sec. 84, it was a great accomplishment to make such a showing using only the upper part of his body since he cannot use his lower part.

Han Sang-min is the player who won a silver medal in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games for the first time in Korean Alpine skiing history. It was “seating ski LW12-1,” an event for the handicapped who can use their waist but cannot walk.

It was in 1996 when he began skiing as a person who suffered from congenital poliomyelitis. He was fascinated by skiing after participating at a ski camp for the disabled in Yongpyong. Han Sang-min distinguish himself as he has long arms and a good sense for skiing, so he was finally selected as a national member and took part in an invitation game in Nagano, Japan in 1999, but finished last. Sine then, he has been reborn as a top skier in the world under the National Team’s director Kim Nam-je’s harsh training.

Mr. Kim said, “Sang-min has already reached world class level in the viewpoint of technique. His weak point is that he suffers from a loss of speed as his weight is quite light (42kg),” and added, “if he strengthens power by gaining weight, he has enough skill for a chance of a gold medal in 2006 Torino Winter Universiade.”

Shown in a statement that, “I am so sorry to have a short training period from November to February due to climate of Korea,” he is greatly enthusiastic and has a strong resolution of, “winning a gold medal in Torino.”

He is a fountain of health, forgetting his own physical disability, and dating with girlfriend in his spare moments.

Sang-Soo Kim ssoo@donga.com