I was proud to represent my country

Sep 25 2008 by Mari Jones, North Wales Weekly News

BRAVE Deganwy teenager Rebecca Chin, who was stripped of her silver medal at the Paralympics, has vowed to compete in the London event in 2012.

The Ysgol Aberconwy teenager has had a rollercoaster ride of highs and lows over the last couple of weeks, as she comes to terms with what happened in Beijing.

The 16-year-old thought she’d won a silver medal at the Bird’s Nest stadium on September 14 when she smashed the world record in the F37/38 discus.

Rebecca had her silver medal and record taken away from her in a heartbreaking ruling by Paralympic officials after her disability was reclassified. The classifiers have been told that Rebecca no longer fits into a recognised International Paralympic Committee class.

They were dealt another bombshell when Rebecca had her disability reclassified by experts in China who claimed she has cerebral palsy.

An appeal against the decision is being made by the British Paralympic Association.

Rebecca, who returns to school this week to study for her A-levels, has been widely praised for how she handled the nightmare situation and says she has no regrets.

She said: “What I want to make clear is that they never said I wasn’t disabled enough, that was never a problem in China. They agreed that I have an impairment that fits into the F38 classification.

“They said I was too technically good because of all the hours of training I had done in Cardiff. I wasn’t the only athlete that went through this. I just hope the IPC sorts the classifications out before 2012 as I will not give up.

“It’s terribly disappointing and unfair, I can only wait to see what happens with the appeal decision now.

“I have no regrets as I had an incredible time in Beijing and was proud to represent my country.”

Rebecca was also bullied by Australian athlete Amanda Fraser, who was in the bronze medal position and ended up receiving the teenager’s silver medal.

“She was heckling me and calling me a cheat, and was congratulating the Chinese athlete for beating me to win the gold,” said Rebecca.

“I went over to shake her hand at the end but she refused. Steve Cram from the BBC commentary box had heard what was going on and came running down to say how appalled he was.

“He and Dame Tanni Grey Thompson gave me a lot of support and even sneaked me into the BBC commentary box in the stadium.

“That was a definite highlight as it had the best view of the whole Bird’s Nest. I chatted to Tanni and she was telling me never to give up.”

Rebecca revealed Team GB was very supportive, and stars from the team such as wheelchair athlete David Weir made a special effort to speak to her.

There were other highlights too: Rebecca was thrilled to spot South African star athlete Oscar Pistorius in the Olympic Village, and said the closing ceremony was unforgettable.

mari.jones