Tian Longbing practices shot put skills at a training base in Huangshi, central China's Hubei Province, Oct. 12, 2021. Tian Longbing, a 52-year-old athlete, has been blind for 28 years. In 1969, Tian was born in Hubei's Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. With strong passion for sports, Tian joined the prefecture's wrestling team at the age of 13. When Tian was aspiring for a bright future, something unexpected happened. During a basketball training in 1989, his right eye was accidentally poked by a defender as he jumped up to shoot. During the treatment, his two eyes were cross-infected and got completely blind. The hope for life was re-ignited for Tian when he came into contact with sports for the disabled by chance. In 1995, the disabled persons' federation in Enshi invited Tian to represent the prefecture to compete in the provincial games. Tian then started to learn judo, whose techniques were similar to wrestling. After years of practices, Tian won the silver medal in judo for China at the 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games. As Tian grew older, judo became increasingly demanding for him, but he did not want to terminate his sports career. After thorough analysis, Tian switched to be a thrower of discus, javelin and a shot putter. In the past two decades, Tian has bagged many medals in international games, including the IBSA World Games, the World Para Athletics Championships and the Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled. "Training after my losing sight was much harder than before, but I feel as if my eyes could see the world again. Sports is the light for my life," said Tian. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)
