Hou Bin

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Hou Bin
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  China
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1996 Atlanta High jump
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney High jump
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens High jump

Hou Bin (Chinese: 侯斌; pinyin: Hóu Bīn), born in Jiamusi, Heilongjiang Province, in 1975,[1] is a Chinese track and field athlete who specialises in the high jump.

He lost his left leg in an accident at the age of nine. He subsequently became a Paralympian, and represented China at the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta. He won gold in the high jump with a jump of 1.92 metres. He successfully defended his title by winning gold again at the 2000 and 2004 Paralympics.[1]

Hou was selected to light the Paralympic flame during the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing. He lifted himself and his wheelchair up on a rope by strength of arms to the top of Beijing National Stadium, where he lit the cauldron to mark the beginning of the Games.[1]

Since retirement, Hou has become a motivational speaker, and in 2013, he launched "Stand Up Again," a fundraising project for injured children who needed prosthetics after the Ya'an and Wenchuan earthquakes.[2]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Hou Bin: China's Triple Paralympic High Jump Champion", Xinhua, September 7, 2008
  2. ^ Huan, Fei. "China's — Hou Bin". ABILITYMagazine.com. China Press For People with Disabilities & Spring Breeze. Retrieved 4 August 2015 – via ABILITY Magazine.