Blind twin brothers sprint toward light of dreams

NAMPA/XINHUA



The biting chill of an early winter morning in east China could hardly slow down Lu Wenkai and Lu Wenxuan, as the twin brothers, despite being born blind, were immersed in running laps, setting their sights firmly on the finish line.

But this time, the 23-year-old duo breathed a sigh of relief and ran just for fun.

The tension and stress in running races dissipated as they have accomplished their New Year's resolution, which was to win gold medals in the National Games for Persons with Disabilities this year.

"We are still thrilled. It's such a great feeling that your efforts paid off," said older brother Wenkai, who claimed first place in the 1 500m T11 event in late October, while his brother won gold in the 10 000m T11 event.

The visually impaired brothers wore their medals and have touched them so many times that they know the patterns on the surface.

"We often lend them to other blind teammates at our training centre and they love to wear them. It's not only about honour, but also an inspiration," Wenkai said.

Run to dreams

With two identically handsome faces, the twin brothers started their athletic career seven years ago at a sports training base for the disabled in Jiangsu Province after they completed academic years at a local school for the blind.

"We had a teacher at our school for the blind who happened to be a track-and-field coach at the base and he thought we had talent," Wenkai said, adding that they are always grateful for the teacher's decision to let them have a try.

"At first, I was so timid and often had moments of self-doubt, thinking that it's so difficult to run in the dark," said younger brother Wenxuan.

"But when I finished my first marathon, the feeling of accomplishment amazingly built my confidence."

"It was then that I realised I could compete with others because the sighted people might not find it easy to run a marathon," he said.

In order to keep physical stamina after being enrolled in the middle and long-distance events, the duo need to train every day.

"My brother is good at 800m and 1 500m, while I am better in 5 000m, 10 000m and marathon," said Wenxuan.

A world of possibilities

"Before claiming the titles at the National Games, we had also done pretty well, including winning at the national championships," said Wenkai.

According to the China Association of the Blind, the country's visually impaired population is over 17 million. Most of them are employed in the massage business, but stories of the two brothers have proved other possibilities.

"Running on the track opens a new window for our lives as we can travel to different places and meet different people, and most important of all, it gives us hope and dreams," said Wenkai.

"We followed Su Bingtian's competition at the Tokyo Olympic Games; he is our hero," they said. Su ran 9.83 seconds in the semi-finals of the men's 100m at Tokyo, setting the Asian record.

"Running is our life, and we hope someday to compete in the Olympic Games, to see the world and win glory for our country too.”