Climber’s 250m feat
HONG KONG: Lai Chiwai became the first in Hong Kong to climb more than 250m of a skyscraper while strapped into a wheelchair as he pulled himself up for more than 10 hours yesterday to raise money for spinal cord patients.
The 37yearold climber, whose car accident 10 years ago left him paralysed from waist down, could not make it to the top of the 300 metretall Nina Tower on the Kowloon peninsula.
‘‘I was quite scared,’’ Lai said. ‘‘Climbing up a mountain, I can hold on to rocks or little holes, but with glass, all I can really rely on is the rope I’m hanging off.’’
The event raised $HK5.2 million ($NZ939,000) in donations.
Lai, before 2011, was crowned Asia champion four times for rock climbing and at one point ranked eighth globally.
After his accident, he resumed climbing by attaching his wheelchair to a pulley system. Five years ago he ascended the 495m Lion Rock, a cultural symbol of the city’s strength and grit.
Lai did not reach the top of the building due to safety concerns, but hoped to send a message.
‘‘Some people don’t understand the difficulties of disabled people, some people think that we are always weak, we need help . . .’’ Lai said.
‘‘But, I want to tell everyone, it doesn’t have to be like that. If a disabled person can shine, they can at the same time bring about opportunity, hope, bring about light, they don’t have to be viewed as weak.’’ — Reuters