Most beautiful racer: Life goes first

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A thank-you letter released on Wednesday dispersed the shadow shrouding the ongoing 12th National Games of China in northeast Chinese city Shenyang.

In the letter, Liaoning sailing team thanked a Sichuan racer Ma Jiao for her heroic behavior of saving a Liaoning racer in a windsurfing competition held on Tuesday.

The accident took place in the women’s RS:X race. Liaoning racer Hao Xiumei accidentally fell into the sea and her sailboard was swept away by strong waves. Hao tried to regain the board but her effort only ended up with falling into the risk of drowning. The nearby Sichuan racer Ma Jiao stopped and helped Hao get out of trouble.

Ma saved Hao but had to withdraw from the game because she didn't finish. Ma told her delegation that when she saw Hao was in danger, her initial reaction was to save her.

The uninspired play of Beijing women’s rugby team and the fight in women’s marathon swimming cast a shadow over the national games but Ma’s heroism offset the embarrassment by delivering positive energy of the sportsmanship.

Ma is only 20 years old and trains hard. This is her first national games and the whole delegation is proud of Ma’s choice, said Li Qing, head of Sichuan delegation.

The good news is Ma could play on. The board of sailing arbitration has decided to give Ma a proper score based on her previous performance.

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