ATHENS, Sept. 20 (Xinhuanet) -- Zhang Haiyuan lost one of her legs in a car accident when she was six. She managed to win a Paralympic Games gold medal 21 years later on Monday, when she was crowned the queen of the women's long jump Class 42, with the only leg now available.

    Zhang, a good-looking young lady from northeastern Liaoning Province, broken the world record in the event on way to the title.

    "After a decade of hard work, I finally realized my dream to be a world class champion," said an excited Zhang.

    In four of her six attempts, she broke the original world records. The performance was more than excellent and the audience showed her with their respect with thunderous applause.

    Although Zhang had beaten the world record for her own class for many times in the past decade, she never won a medal in world-class competition. This event was listed on the games program for the first time in Athens.

    "I will continue to try my best in long jump while making attempts in training for high jump and 100m," said Zhang.

    "After realizing my dream for gold medal of a decade, my biggest hope now is to win the gold medal in the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing," she added. Enditem