Disabled swimmer revels in golden Games

Setting an example

Zheng said he wanted to provide an example for his 2-year-old daughter. "I want to tell her one day that I can swim fast without arms," he told ThePaper.cn, an online news portal. As it turned out, he actually inspired far more people than he had planned.

The topic "31-year-old Zheng Tao won four golds and broke four records" has been viewed about 130 million times on Weibo, China's Twitter-like social media platform.

"After watching his performance, I've realized that it's me, not him, that is 'disabled'," one Weibo user commented. Another wrote, "The Olympics help to select humanity's best bodies, while the Paralympics help to detect humanity's immortal souls."

In a congratulatory letter released on Sept 5, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, China's Cabinet, said Zheng and the other Chinese Paralympians have been inspirational for the nation's disabled people.

"Your brilliant performance has set an example for many Chinese with disabilities, added luster to the cause of sports for people with disabilities and won glory for the nation," it said.

The letter also called the athletes "a national inspiration" as China works to build itself into a "modern socialist country", and it asked them to pass the glory on and continue to make constant efforts to be the best.