Thin Seng Hon (born 25 April 1986) is a Cambodian athlete, who was the only member of her nation's

2012 Summer Paralympics The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Summer Paralympic Gam ...

team. She won a silver medal in the T43/44

200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

at the 2015 ASEAN Para Games.

Career

Thin Seng Hon was born on 25 April 1986. She was born with a right leg defect, with it ending below the knee, and deformities to some of her fingers. To attend school in Kampong Cham Province, Cambodia, Hon needed to walk on crutches. She stood out in her village as she was the only person with a disability, and was bullied at school because she was different. She was bought her first prosthetic at the age of eight. She began learning English at 18, and afterwards moved to

Phnom Penh Phnom Penh (; km, ភ្នំពេញ, ) is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, indus ...

away from her village and family. She took up sports in 2005 after seeing an advert asking for disabled athletes. She was the fastest in the

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...

, and was drafted into the national team. After taking part without proper equipment at the

2005 ASEAN Para Games The 2005 ASEAN Para Games, officially known as the 3rd ASEAN Para Games, was a Southeast Asian disabled multi-sport event held in Manila, Philippines from 14 to 20 December 2005, nine days after the 2005 Southeast Asian Games. This was the firs ...

, she gave up the sport. Her friends purchased her a running blade, which meant she started running again, competing at the

2010 Asian Para Games The 2010 Asian Para Games (), also known as the First Asian Para Games, was a parallel sport event for Asian athletes with a disability held in Guangzhou, People's Republic of China, China. Two weeks after the conclusion of the 2010 Asian Games, 1 ...

. Hon was the only member of

Cambodian Cambodian usually refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Cambodia ** Cambodian people (or Khmer people) ** Cambodian language (or Khmer language) ** For citizens and nationals of Cambodia, see Demographics of Cambodia ** Fo ...

team for the

, leading to criticism in the media as Cambodia has one of the highest proportions of disabled people worldwide at 8.9%. In previous years, the

International Paralympic Committee The International Paralympic Committee (IPC; german: Internationales Paralympisches Komitee) is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and fun ...

had granted two wildcard places at the Paralympics to Cambodia, but for 2012 this was reduced to a place for a single woman. Hon's trainer, Phay Sok was frustrated at the level of equipment available to other nations. At the 2015 ASEAN Para Games in Singapore, Hon took part in both the T43/44 100 metres and the

. Although she took the lead initially in the 200 metres, she finished in fourth position. In the 100 metres, she took second place and the silver medal. She was running on blades designed for long-distance running rather than sprinting.

Personal life

In 2011, Hon moved to Melbourne,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, where she has permanent residency. She works at an orchid nursery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hon, Thin Seng Living people 1986 births People from Kampong Cham province Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Cambodian emigrants to Australia Cambodian female sprinters