James never let his disability stop him from excelling

PARA swimmer James Wong may have only one arm, but that hasn’t stopped him from fully embracing life with his positive outlook.

Monday, 2 Oct 2017

By Lim Teik Huat

Hungry for more: James Wong is not about to rest on his laurels as he now hopes
 to make the cut for the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, next April.

The 23-year-old was only seven years old when he nearly drowned in a swimming pool in Subang.

While many would have a phobia of going back into the water, James proved that he’s made of sterner stuff when he began to learn to swim for safety reasons.

“I enrolled in a course that guarantees you can swim in a month’s time. At the end of that month, I managed to do one lap and I was like ‘wow, this is just amazing’,” he said.

Perhaps his ability to look on the bright side of things has to do with the fact that his parents never treated him any differently although he was born with part of his left arm missing.

“Growing up wasn’t really hard for me as my parents treated me like any other regular kid.

“My family made sure I did whatever other kids my age did.

 

“I just got on with things in school. I played football and badminton with the other kids.

“They never really treated me differently as I didn’t see myself as different, so we just carried on,” said James.

Nothing seems to faze the ebullient James. Not even the most simplest of tasks – like tying his shoe laces.

“I learned to do it when I was a kid. I just figured it out myself. I kept doing it till I found a way that worked,” he said confidently.

So, how did he get involved in para swimming?

It began when he just turned 14 and was studying at the Sri Kuala Lumpur school.“I would swim at the pool in my school whenever I could find the time.

“One day someone came up to me and asked if I would be interested in becoming a competitive swimmer and represent the country.

“That someone was former national coach Lewin Lim, who is involved with the national para swimming team.

“I accepted his invitation as I liked his personality and things started from there.

“I went on to compete in my first Asean Para Games (in Palembang in 2011 at the age of 17) and I have never missed a single Games since,” said James, who enjoyed a smashing campaign at the recently-ended KL Asean Para Games swimming competition.

He erased the 12-year-old record en route to winning the men’s S8 (for a swimmer with one limb) 100m butterfly race in 1:12.94. The previous mark of 1:30.23 was set by compatriot D. Kulek in 2005.

James posing for a photograph with former national swimmers Khoo Cai Lin (left),
Nurul Huda Abdullah (third from left) and para swimmer Carmen Lim recently.

 James also got a silver in the 200m individual medley and a bronze in the 100m breaststroke.

“I really wanted to see how far I could go in para swimming. If I never try, I would never know,” said James, who excels in studies as well.

He left to pursue further studies in Adelaide, Australia in 2011. He graduated last year with a double degree in Economics and Inter­national Studies.

He has opted to remain in Adelaide, where he also does part-time coaching.

“I’m really happy with what I achieved at the KL Asean Para Games as I can now tell the kids that their coach had done well and that they can be like me too,” he said.

James is not about to rest on his laurels as he now hopes to make the cut for the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, next April.

“My latest time in the 100m breaststroke (1:24.24) is fourth fastest in the Commonwealth ranking.

“The top eight from Oct 31 last year to Oct 31 this year will automatically qualify for the Commonwealth Games.

“It would be a dream come true to get in as the Commonwealth Games is probably the biggest competition where able-bodied athletes and para athletes swim at the same meet. That does not happen at the Olympics.”

Not only that, James is also game to learn to ride a motorbike next year.

“My coach, Shawn Curtis, picks me up for training but I want to find an easier way to go for training and come back.”

Thanks to his parents, who never treated him differently, James knows the importance of having a semblance of normalcy and being independent.

http://www.thestar.com.my/sport/swimming/2017/10/02/james-never-let-his-disability-stop-him-from-excelling/


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James eyes C’wealth podium after smashing performances

James eyes C’wealth podium after smashing performances

JAMES Wong (pic) may only have an arm but nothing is impossible for him.

Sunday, 24 Sep 2017

Malaysias James Wong celebrate for mens 100 meter Butterfly SB14 category during
9th ASEAN Para Games at National Aquatic Centre, Bukit Jalil. FAIHAN GHANI/The Star.

The 23-year-old now hopes to make history as Malaysia’s first para swimmer to stand on the podium at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, next April.

James, who was born with part of his left arm missing, enjoyed a smashing campaign at the Kuala Lumpur Asean Para Games as one of the seven individual winners for Malaysia in the pool.

James erased a 12-year-old record on his way to winning the men’s S8 100m butterfly in 1:12.94 on Wednesday. The previous record of 1:30.23 was held by fellow Malaysian D. Kulek back in 2005 in Manila.

He also secured a silver in the 200m individual medley and a bronze in the 100m breaststroke.

James, who is studying and working as a part-time coach in Adelaide, Australia, said he wanted to con-tribute to Malaysia’s gold-medal count to justify the faith of those who believed in him.

“A complete set of medals. I want to dedicate this to those who continued to believe in me although I failed to qualify for the Paralympics in Rio last year.

“After Rio, there was a moment where I even stopped believing in myself,” said James, who went to Australia in 2011 to give himself a shot at becoming a champion swimmer.

“After this, I will try to qualify for the Commonwealth Games next year. My latest time in the 100m breaststroke (1:24.24) ranks fourth fastest in the Commonwealth rankings.

“The top eight from Oct 31 last year to Oct 31 this year will automatically qualify for the Commonwealth Games,” said James, whose long term goal is to qualify for the Tokyo Paralympics in 2020.

http://www.thestar.com.my/sport/swimming/2017/09/24/james-eyes-cwealth-podium-after-smashing-performances/

Also read:

James never let his disability stop him from excelling

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Fraidden and James produce stellar shows in the pool

Peerless: Malaysia’s Fraidden Dawan celebrating his win in the 400m freestyle (S10)
at the National Aquatic Centre in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

Thursday, 21 Sep 2017

FRAIDDEN Dawan won a fifth straight men’s 400m freestyle (S10) title while James Wong smashed a 12-year-old record in the 100m butterfly (S8) to provide the golden splash for Malaysia on the third day of the Kuala Lumpur Asean Para Games swimming competition.

(S10: swimmers have either lost the use of one hand or have movement restrictions in one hip joint; S8: For swimmers with joint restrictions in one limb or with double below-the-knee amputations).

Sarawakian Fraidden clocked 4:48.35 to improve on his own Games record of 4:55.99 set at the 2015 Singapore Games.

Tangkilisan Steven Sualang of Indo­nesia was second in 5:01.59 while Thai Suphat Punsiri got the bronze in 5:20.37.

The 30-year-old Fraidden has mono­­polised the 400m freestyle since the 2009 Laos Games, but yesterday’s win was especially significant as it was achieved in his daughter Evangelina Marian-sha’s presence.

James Wong

“My daughter is only 14 months old and this is the first time she has come to see me compete.

“I’m pleased that I lowered my own Games record,” said Fraidden, who lost his right leg after it was crushed by a log while helping his dad collect firewood in Bintulu in 2000.

James, who was born with part of his left arm missing, won the 100m butterfly in 1:12.94 to break the previous mark of 1:30.23 set by compatriot D. Kulek in Manila in 2005.

Filipino Ernie Agat Gawilan (1:19.86) clinched the silver and Vietnam’s Nguyen Quang Vuong (1:23.63) the bronze.

Julius Jaranding completed his three-silver medal haul when he finished second in his final event in the (SB13) 100m breaststroke.

Julius, who is visually im-paired, clocked 1:20.51 to finish behind Indonesian Marinus Melianus Yo­­wei, who set a new Games record of 1:14.57.

Marinus bettered his old record of 1:14.79 set in 2015.

Malaysia’s medal tally in swimming now stands at five golds, eight silvers and six bronzes. The competition continues today with 22 golds up for grabs.

www.thestar.com.my/sport/swimming/2017/09/21/golden-splash-fraidden-and-james-produce-stellar-shows-in-the-pool


Also read:

James never let his disability stop him from excelling

Are These Deadly Carcinogens Lurking in Your Pool?

Healthwise

Swimming isn’t just for cooling off. It’s also one of the best ways to exercise. Swimming forces you to use your whole body to build strength and stamina. It also puts minimal stress on your joints. But spending time in the water may be doing you more harm than good.

June 10th, 2014

Pools may be weakening your immune system. But that’s not even the worst of it—you could also be putting yourself at greater risk for cancer.

New research from the CDC found that exposure to pool chemicals led to almost 5,000 emergency room visits in 2012 alone.1

The most frequent diagnosis? Poisoning.2

The worst—and most common—offenders are chlorine and bromine. Most people who use these chemicals have good intentions: Shocking a pool with high amounts of chlorine kills bacteria. This is especially important in public pools. But using too much may do way more than just irritate your eyes. It can cause serious lung damage over time. After all, soldiers in World War I used chlorine as a chemical weapon.3

Your skin absorbs chlorine. So you don’t have to swallow pool water to be at risk. But the chemicals themselves aren’t even the worst part. The disinfection byproducts (DBPs) they produce when they meet organic matter—like your skin and hair—are even more dangerous.

One study found that regular exposure to trihalomethanes (THMs)—a type of DBP—in swimming pools increases bladder cancer risk by up to 57%. Even more disturbing? This risk was over 20% higher than people who frequently drank water polluted with chlorine.4 But this isn’t the only study showing the dangers of DBP exposure.

Researchers in Thailand found that skin exposure from swimming in chlorinated pools made up for 94% of total THM-related cancer risk.5 Another study revealed that just 40 minutes contact with DBPs in swimming pools causes DNA damage that may lead to cancer.6 And don’t forget that DBPs seriously weaken your immune system. This may be why indoor swimming pool workers are up to three times more likely to suffer from respiratory problems and chronic colds.7

Pool chemicals and the toxic byproducts they form are dangerous. But swimming in a stew of other people’s bacteria doesn’t sound great either. Your best bet is to avoid these pools entirely. They aren’t your only options.

If you live close enough, try the ocean instead. Swimming in the ocean may help balance skin flora and serotonin levels.8 You can also find facilities that have saltwater pools. They expose you to far less chlorine than conventional pools.

If you’re all out of options—or already have a pool of your own—try limiting the amount of time you spend in the water. Taking a few quick dips instead of a long soak may help cut down your exposure. Just remember to rinse off with fresh water before and after getting out.

References:
1http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/p0515-chemical-injuries.html
2http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/276888.php
3http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/chlorine/basics/facts.asp
4http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/165/2/148.abstract
5http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18595407?ordinalpos=7&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
6http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/568170/?sc=rsmn&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NewswiseMednews+%28Newswise%3A+MedNews%29
7http://www.erj.ersjournals.com/content/29/4/690.abstract
8http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-102698/Three-health-benefits-sea.html

http://institutefornaturalhealing.com/2014/06/are-these-deadly-carcinogens-lurking-in-your-pool/

Healthwise

Water Workouts a Great Alternative: Study

November 23, 2012 | 16,238 views

Story at-a-glance

• Working out in water can give you just as intense a workout as doing so on land, new research revealed
• Benefits of water workouts include increased flexibility, less wear and tear on your body and built-in resistance training
• When you exercise in water, your heart rate will be lower than on land, even if you’re exercising very strenuously, so you need to listen to your body, not rely on heart rate, to gauge when you’ve had enough
• Water exercise will also dramatically lower stress on injured joints and allow you to decrease your risk of joint injuries
• The ideal water to use would be ocean water, which will not only ground you but is also free from chlorine, fluoride and disinfection byproducts of chlorine (DBPs), which are 10,000 times more toxic than chlorine
• Swimming pools typically contain chlorine, and along with it, disinfection byproducts (DBPs), which have been linked to cancer and respiratory effects; working out in a non-chlorinated pool, ocean or other natural body of water may be preferable to a chlorinated pool

By Dr. Mercola

If you're tired of your workout routine and want a change of pace, moving your workout to the water may offer some unique benefits.

While you might think you can't actually get as intense a workout in the water, new research found that's not true at all, and in some ways a water workout may be better than one on land.

Benefits of Water Workouts Revealed

After measuring workout intensity levels among people exercising on a stationary bike on land, and one designed for use in a pool, researchers found that the aerobic intensity was the same.

However, while working just as hard, those in the water had lower heart rates, because the pressure of the water helps your blood circulate more effectively with fewer heartbeats.

According to the American Council on Exercise, your heart rate will be reduced by as much as 17 beats per minute compared to land exercise,¹ so be sure to keep this in mind if you measure your heart rate to watch your intensity.

When you're in the water, your heart rate will be lower than on land, even if you're exercising very strenuously, so you need to listen to your body, not rely on heart rate, to gauge when you've had enough.

The study, which was presented at a meeting of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, also found that the water-based workout caused less wear and tear on your body, making it an ideal alternative if you have trouble exercising on land.

When you exercise in water, you have to support only a fraction of your body weight compared to on land. In fact, the water reduces your weight by about 90 percent!² This means the stress on your weight-bearing joints, bones and muscles is greatly reduced, lessening your chances of injury or sore muscles.

Plus, the water acts as a form of built-in resistance, as though you've surrounded your body with weights, making it simple to increase the intensity of your workout and challenge muscles you might not on land. Also, because water lessens the effects of gravity, you're able to move your body through a wider range of motion, which is an ideal way to improve your flexibility. Even your lungs get a beneficial workout, as the water pressure makes them work harder than they would on land.

If you are overweight or obese, elderly, have arthritis, joint pain, osteoporosis or an injury that makes weight-bearing exercise on land difficult or painful, a water workout may be for you.

Working out in Water: Important Caveats to Consider

If you decide to work out in water, keep in mind that land-based exercise is still important to get weight-bearing benefits (the kind that will help strengthen your bones and prevent bone loss and osteoporosis). Another important consideration: swimming pools typically contain chlorine, and along with it, disinfection byproducts (DBPs), which are formed when bromide, naturally existent in the source water, and/or organic materials like hair, skin, sweat, dirt and urine react with the large amounts of chlorine used to sanitize the pool water.

DBPs are over 10,000 times more toxic than the chlorine itself and have been linked to DNA damage and cancer. In one study, more than 100 DBPs were identified in pool water, and when researchers measured evidence of genotoxic (DNA damage that may lead to cancer) and respiratory effects on swimmers who swam in a chlorinated pool for 40 minutes, they found:³

• Increased micronuclei in blood lymphocytes, which are associated with cancer risk
• Urine mutagenicity, a biomarker of exposure to genotoxic agents
• An increase in serum CC16, which suggests an increase in lung epithelium permeability

This is a serious issue if you swim in chlorinated pools on a regular basis, as your body absorbs higher levels of DBPs by swimming in a chlorinated pool once than you would by drinking tap water for one week! In fact, in one study on trihalomethanes (THMs), one of the most common DBPs, found the cancer risk from skin exposure while swimming comprised over 94 percent of the total cancer risk resulting from being exposed to THMs!⁴ The authors even went so far as to conclude that swimming in a chlorinated pool presents "an unacceptable cancer risk."

As an aside, DBPs are also the likely culprits for the increased incidence of sinusitis and sore throats among swimming instructors,⁵ as well as the negative impact of chlorinated pools on the respiratory health of children and adolescents. In fact, one study found that in children with allergic sensitivities, swimming in chlorinated pools significantly increased the likelihood of asthma and respiratory allergies.⁶

This doesn't necessarily mean you have to give up swimming. Swimming in an ocean is an excellent alternative, as is swimming in a lake or other natural body of water. You can also find a way to keep your pool clean from bacteria, algae, and other organisms without the use of dangerous chemicals.

One of the best solutions is NOT to chlorinate your pool and just use a maintenance "shock" treatment every five or six days, which will kill the algae buildup. The shock treatment volatilizes in about 24-48 hours and gives you a several-day window in which you can safely use your pool. You can also reduce the amount of organic material you bring into the pool, and thereby the amount of DBPs created, by showering prior to entering and teaching your children not to urinate in the water.

Using Water After Your Workout Also Beneficial

Have you ever felt just fine immediately following your workout, but within 24 hours, you start to feel pain? This is called delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and for some, this discomfort is enough to make you think twice before going back to the gym or engaging in activities you would otherwise enjoy.

Immersing yourself in a cold-water bath 24, 48, 72 and even 96 hours after exercise appears to be significantly more effective than rest in relieving delayed-onset muscle soreness.⁷ Cold water immersion, or "cryotherapy," is thought to help reduce muscle inflammation and pain after exercise. It works by lowering the damaged tissue's temperature and locally constricting blood vessels. Cold also helps numb nerve endings, providing you with instant, localized pain relief.

So, if you want to relieve sore muscles following an intense workout, you can try spending 20 minutes or so in a cold tub of water (10-15 degrees C, or 50-59 degrees F). If you don't like the idea of full-body cryotherapy, you can also try a more targeted approach by applying a cold pack to a specific area of your body. While this won't give you full-body relief from muscle soreness, it can be beneficial for an injury or a pulled muscle.

[-] Sources and References

• Study presented at a meeting of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, Toronto, Canada, November 6, 2012
• MedicineNet October 31, 2012

• ¹ American Council on Exercise, Fit Facts
• ² American Council on Exercise, Fit Facts
• ³ Environ Health Perspect. 2010 November; 118(11): 1531–1537.
• ⁴ J Environ Sci (China). 2008;20(3):372-8.
• ⁵ ERJApril 1, 2007 vol. 29 no. 4 690-698
• ⁶ Pediatrics. 2009 Oct;124(4):1110-8. Epub 2009 Sep 14.
• ⁷ The Cochrane Library February 15, 2012

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