HONG KONG: Para fencer Sean Glass (pic) is a true fighter.
Glass had a tumour around his spine when he was only one-year-old and had to undergo chemotherapy.
The tumour was removed but it robbed him of the ability to walk.
Instead of letting his disability bring him down, the 20-year-old Glass took up para fencing thanks to encouragement from his mother Ivory Chan.
Glass, who was part of the Hong Kong team that won silver in the sabre event in the Hangzhou Asian Para Games in 2023, is gearing up for the National Games for Persons with Disabilities in Hong Kong from Dec 8-15.
“For me, giving up in life doesn’t work. Why would you give up? You should give your life a try. Try to do your best in everything,” said Glass after a training session at the Hong Kong Sports Institute in Sha Tin.
“Thankfully, I survived after undergoing chemotherapy to remove a tumour in my spine.
“The tumour though prevented me from walking and caused me to have scoliosis, a condition where the spine twists and curves to the side.
“My mother was very supportive of me and encouraged me to take up sports.
“She wanted me to be active. Before fencing, she took me to try other sports like swimming, table tennis and archery. I eventually chose fencing,” added Glass.
“Fencing requires quick thinking and reflexes. You need to have a strong mentality to fence.
“When I first started fencing at the age of 10, there was not much expectations but at 15, I wanted to be a professional.
“I started to work on my technique and trained more often and at the 2023 Asiad, we won the men’s sabre team silver. It inspired me to become a full-time athlete.”
Glass, who looks up to British fencer and Paris Paralympics gold medallist Dimitri Coutya, wants to empower more disabled people to take up fencing.
“I look up to Dimitri. He’s a pretty good fencer. He has been in this sport for a very long time,” said Glass.
“I try to inspire others just like him and hopefully, could teach others to fence too.”
Glass hopes to qualify for the Paralympics in 2028 in Los Angeles as his father Gregory is from the United States.
“My father is American, so it will be special for me to compete there. It will be like going back to my roots,” said Glass.
“I also want to win medals in the Asian Para Games and the World Cup next year.”
Before that, Glass is keen to impress in the National Games for the first time at home.
“My mother is from Hong Kong and I was born here. I spent most of my life here,” said Glass, who hopes to win a medal.
