Winning championships and medals almost never hap-pened for Hong Kong Olympian Lee Wai-sze.

During a routine training ride in 2009 in her native Hong Kong, Lee, also known as Sarah Lee, saw a dog and swerved to avoid it. She wound up with a broken left wrist. Three surgeries later, doctors told her a full recovery wasn’t possible, and her coach, Shen Jinkang, wasn’t encouraging either, telling Lee she should quit.

However, just as she hit her lowest point as an athlete, she was introduced to Christ.

“There is nothing greater than the love of Jesus. (Christ) isn’t motivated by any self-interest. Life should be filled with love,” Lee told the South China Morning

Post. “There are bound to be ups and

downs in life,” Lee continued. “Changes are inevitable – just like you can’t do anything against

ageing. My injury is a minor problem in the grand scheme of things.”

Since recovering fully from the wreck, she has been on a tear in the cycling world. She is at the top of her sport

as the 2016 Rio Olympics ap-proaches, attested to her two

most recent medals in September at the Asian Games – both gold.

In 2011, little-known Faith Chepng’etich Kipyegon wowed many athletics enthusiasts when, running bare-foot, she won the women’s World Junior Cross Country Championship in Punta Umbria, Spain, completing the 6km course in 18:53.

She repeated that effort in 2013, at the age of 19, in Bydgoszcz, Poland, where she again won the World Junior Cross Country Championship to become only the third woman in history to repeat as champion.

The Form 2 student at Keringet Girls Win-ners High School in Nakuru, Kipyegon never stops reading or running, always carrying her books and praying a lot.

“I remember finishing fifth at the 2009 National Trials for the World Cross Coun-try in Amman, but despite having made the cut, I was not allowed to travel by Athletics Kenya” says Kipyegon, who won gold medals in 2014 at the Com-monwealth Games (1500m) and World Re-lays (4x1500m). “Their reason was that I was 15 years and was too young to compete.”

In 2012, Kipyegon won the 1500m at the World Junior Championships in Athletics in Barcelona, Spain; and a month later, she became Kenya’s youngest athlete at the 2012 London Games at age 18.

“I have never let age bother me. I am a strong believer of hard work, self-belief and trust in God,” Kipyegon says. “That is what propels me.”

ATHLETE TESTIMONY ATHLETE TESTIMONY

In the midst of an injury, Wai-sze learned that with God, all things are possible, proclaiming that “There is nothing greater than the love of Jesus.”

Even though she is a young star, Kipyegon remains firm in her faith, trusting God to guide her in her running efforts.

Poverty, anemia and injury couldn’t hold back Hong Kong’s Lee Wai-sze once she found Christ

Despite her success as a youth and her continued success, Faith Chepng’etich Kipyegon remains faithful

HEART VALUE TO PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL

HEART VALUE IN OBEDIENCE TO THE BIBLE

LEE WAI-SzE FAITH CHEPNG’ETICH KIPyEGON

After being part of a Coaching For Life clinic in Minas Gerais, Brazil, a boy said to his mother, “Mom, I love you, and now I will help you in our home.” The mom responded, “Thank you for the soccer Life Skill training project that helped change my son.” In Life Skill soccer competitions, there are 945 kids (ages 12-17) on 63 teams in three regions.

HEART VALUES

• TO PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL• TO MAKE DISCIPLES• IN OBEDIENCE TO THE BIBLE• IN SPORT AND PLAY• IN EVERY CITY AND EVERY COMMUNITY

• In Bamako, Mali, 5 days of games and sport, along with max and youth sports leadership

development training, will take place.

• In Togo, local sports partners are preparing a soccer tournament.

• In Ghana, 50 people attended Sports Vision Casting that will be followed up next month with Sports Life Coaching.

• In Liberia, 95+ took part in Cy Sports Training in Margibi County. In May, there will be a leadership training for sport that concludes with games and sport that will serve approximately 500 kids.

• In Senegal, 22 sports partners are working on plans for the hosting of the African Cup. There will be sports training, games and sport for kids, and sports life skill training.

SPORTS MINISTRY AROUND THE WORLDWEST AFRICA

where spor t s and fa i th connect

Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP/Getty Images