"Yao Ming in Wheelchair" starring in National Games

KUNMING, Southwest China - With a seldom-known nickname of "Yao Ming in wheelchair", cager Ding Hai scored 14 points, the most allowed for any individual in a wheelchair basketball game, to pace his Liaoning team for a lop-sided victory of 73-25 over Henan at the 7th Chinese National Games for the Disabled here on Monday.

The 21-year-old Ding, in a jersey number nine, showed perfect skills in shooting, rebounding and teamwork on the court, and becomes the first disabled Chinese athlete joining in a league abroad.

However, like neither Yao Ming, a NBA center of the Houston Rockets nor Zheng Zhi, a midfield on loan for Charlton in the English Premiership, Ding, with his lower part of left leg lost in a car accident, has never caught any attention at home despite his stardom in Montur El Cid in the Spanish wheelchair basketall league since October, 2006.

In 2005, Ding left a deep impression for a visiting manager of Montur El Cid who attended a wheelchair basketball game in China's southeastern city of Shenzhen. Since then, Carlos Alonso, the general manager of the Spanish club, visited China time and again to negotiate for the transfer of Ding with the Chinese sports officials.

Against the fact that none of any Chinese disabled athletes had ever been sent to any league abroad before, Ding eventually made the epoch-making journey to Spain for a trial in April and signed a contract in October last year after receiving permission from the China Disabled Persons' Federation.

"Quick, young and good at running wheelchair," said Ding's coach Juan Bedia, former coach of Spain's national wheelchair basketball team, who made the special tour to Kunming for an inspection of his disciple.

"In two or three years, Ding must be a great player," added Alonso, who also flew to Kunming together with Bedia on the same mission.

Born in 1986, Ding suffered the accident when he was only four-year old. But he didn't stop playing basketball and even went to school with normal fellows. Later, he became a lone member with physical disability of the basketball team in his school.

"I kept playing basketball with normal students since grade one in middle school, until a coach of the Liaoning provincial

team had a sight of me," Ding said, "He thought I was good enough, and I turned to professional when I was 16."

"I never consider myself a disabled. I'm able to do anything other people do, and can even do something they cannot do," said Ding.

Living in the city of Burgos, a two-hour ride from Madrid, Ding has a part-time job in a potato processing factory as "we have to learn how to survive by our own."

Apart from basketball, Ding also likes music, fishing and playing games on internet, cherishing a hope of receiving advanced education some day in future.

"He has good techniques, and is easy to get along with. Sometimes, he is noisy and a little gluttonous, but we like him," said Huang Xunan, a winning teammate in the 6th National Games for the Disabled.

Ding hoped to gain more competitiion experience and basketball skills in order to attend the Beijing Paralympic in 2008.

Besides, "I also hope that I can compete against Yao Ming face to face some day."