Wang Xiaofu, an amputee swimmer and triple gold medalist at the Athens Games, will carry the national flag for the Chinese delegation at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Paralympics, delegation sources said in Beijing on Friday.

Wang Xiaofu, an amputee swimmer and triple gold medalist at the Athens Games

Wang, who turns 20 in November, won three gold medals with three world records, and also grabbed one silver and one bronze at the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games.

He lost his right arm in a high-voltage electric accident at the age of six, but he came out to win three gold medals in his first national games only a year after he started swimming at 13. In 2007, he claimed a record nine national swimming titles, and was tagged China's Michael Phelps for a stunning talent in the pool.

China has fielded the largest-ever delegation of 547 members, including 332 athletes to the Beijing Paralympics, which runs from September 6-17. It hopes to continue its medal dominance in Athens, in which the Chinese athletes took home 63 golds, 46 silvers and 32 bronzes.

(Xinhua News Agency September 6, 2008)