North Korean defector hits Paralympic ice for South Korea
GANGNEUNG, Korea, Republic Of — The most talked-about athlete in the Paralympics barely plays, but who cares? The diminutive but hard-nosed reserve forward on South Korea’s sled hockey team proudly admits he’s just happy to be here.
After all, Choi Kwang Hyouk has come a long way.
He escaped one of the most brutal and isolated places on Earth as a one-legged teenager and travelled weeks through China on crutches before finding freedom in South Korea. He battled through a sense of desolation for years while struggling to adjust to his new capitalist home before finding rejuvenation in a sport he says now means “everything in life.”
Now, 17 years after his escape from North Korea and four years since his first practice on ice, the 31-year-old Choi is living a dream with the South Korean national team, which aims to clinch the country’s first ever Paralympic medal in the sport in the games held at home.