Li Chunhua () is a

Paralympian The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...

athlete An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-devel ...

from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

competing mainly in category F37-38 discus throw events. Li was born in

Haimen Haimen (, Qihai dialect: , Shanghai: ) is a district of Nantong, Jiangsu province, with a population of approximately 1 million. It is located at the opposite side of the Yangtze River to Shanghai and is directly north of Chongming Island except f ...

. At the age of four, she contracted

poliomyelitis Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe sym ...

which resulted in the loss of function in her right arm and leg. Later that year her father died, and when she was six her mother abandoned her in order to remarry. Her uncle then took her in and ensured she attended school until completing

primary education Primary education or elementary education is typically the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary school. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first ...

. After her primary school graduation, she went to live with her grandmother in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

where educational opportunities were better. She began training for the Paralympics in 2001. She competed in the

2004 Summer Paralympics ) , nations = 136 , athletes = 3,806 , events = 519 in 19 sports , opening = 17 September , closing = 28 September , opened_by = President Costis Stephanopoulos , cauldron = Georgios Toptsis , stadium = Olympic ...

in the shot put and discus, winning the gold medal in the F37 class discus throw. Four years later she competed in the

2008 Summer Paralympics The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games (), the 13th Summer Paralympic Games, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao. It was ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. She finished in fourth place in the F37-38 class discus throw, but received the bronze medal after Rebecca Chin of the United Kingdom, who had initially taken second place, was removed from the standings due to protests from the Australian delegation over Chin's classification. She married after the 2008 Paralympics, and then retired from sport to focus on raising her daughter.

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* Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Chinese female discus throwers Chinese female shot putters Medalists at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Paralympic athletes for China Paralympic bronze medalists for China Paralympic gold medalists for China People from Haimen Athletes from Jiangsu Sportspeople from Nantong Medalists at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Paralympic medalists in athletics (track and field) 21st-century Chinese women {{PRChina-Paralympic-medalist-stub