The 14-year-old physically disabled torchbearer Zhu Ying sent holiday wishes to quake-affected children on Saturday as she ran in the Beijing Olympic torch relay Wuhan leg, central China's Hubei Province.

"Tomorrow will be the Children's Day, I want to send my best wishes to those children in quake-hit areas and tell them not to be afraid of sufferings and pains. Life in the future will be more wonderful!" she said.

"These days I'm very concerned about children in Sichuan's earthquake zone and sincerely hope they will spend a happy holiday."

Zhu Ying is the youngest one among 624 torchbearers of the relay in Hubei Province. Suffering from congenital dislocation of hip joint, she learned table tennis when she was ten and claimed a gold medal in Chinese National Games for the Disabled held last year.

She is a hardworking girl with strong will. Everyday, she insists on practising table tennis in addition to having classes, according to her coach Wei Zuwu.

When she ran ploddingly in the torch relay on Saturday morning, spectators along sides of the road all cheered up and encouraged her.

"We have a great motherland and so many warmhearted people. I will make every effort to repay the love from society," she said.

(Xinhua News Agency May 31, 2008)