[Anchor]
Leaving behind the echoes of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, it is now time for the national para athletes' sweat and tears to shine.
Reporter Pyeon Gwanghyeon met with our athletes at the delegation ceremony for the Asian Para Games.
[Reporter]
Jang Min-ho, who made a spirited run on his maiden Asian Games stage amid rainy and inclement weather, stood on the track once again under a crisp autumn sky.
Overcoming retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that progressively narrows his field of vision, Jang becomes the first South Korean athlete to compete consecutively in both the Asian Games and the Asian Para Games, vowing to deliver an even more passionate race.
[Jang Min-ho / National Para Athletics Athlete: I thought that I could perhaps become a source of hope for people with disabilities. I want to run aiming for a new record.]
Wheelchair fencing's Kwon Hyo-kyeong dreams of another golden thrust, carrying on the momentum of the "Appengers," who staged a dramatic comeback victory in Nagoya.
[Kwon Hyo-kyeong / National Wheelchair Fencing Athlete: I want to have fun alongside the older team members and win a gold medal at the Asian Games.]
Athletes draw extra strength by thinking of the families who stood by them through adversity.
Choi Ye-jin, a leading figure in South Korean boccia who claimed two gold medals at the Paralympics, is determined to cap off her final journey with gold alongside her mother—who has worked alongside her as a sports assistant but can no longer compete together now that she has passed the age of 60.
[Moon Woo-young / Boccia Sport Assistant (Athlete Choi Ye-jin's Mother): Rather than looking at her mom's face for another 20 years, it might be better for me to step back so she can team up with a slightly younger, great instructor. I will do my best at this Asian Games as my "last game."]
The 214 athletes competing across all 18 sports are fully prepared to make the Taegeukgi flutter high in the skies of Nagoya once again.
[Republic of Korea, Fighting!]
[Team Korea, Fighting!]
(Photo: Yonhap News / Video reporting: Yang Du-won, Video editing: Ha Seong-won, Design: Kang Yoon-jung, Video source: Para Fencing Archives)
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