Copyright 2006 South China Morning Post Ltd.
All Rights Reserved
By AGNES LAM
South China Morning Post (China)
To Yun-ming decided to become a fireman more than 20 years ago, after rescue workers saved his brother from the wreck of their motorcycle accident.
Yesterday, Mr To, 45, the principal fireman at Tsing Yi fire station, proved he was among the fittest firemen in the world by winning the 9th World Firefighter Games 2006 for his age group.
Brazilian fireman Fabricio Nascimento, 35, who beat 204 competitors from 25 countries, was named the overall winner and the world’s toughest firefighter.
“I have been doing intensive training, including swimming, cycling and running, since last August to prepare for the competition,” said Mr Nascimento, who has been a fireman for 16 years.
He finished all the gruelling events in just eight minutes and 32 seconds.
Mr To, who had trained intensively for a month, finished the same events — including climbing 15 floors of stairs with heavy equipment and scaling a three-metre tall wall — in 11 minutes and 12 seconds.
Sharing his strategy for staying fit and healthy, Mr To, who looks much younger than his age, said: “I like all kinds of sports, especially hiking and running. I train up to three hours a day. I sometimes run from Sha Tin, where I live, to Tsing Yi, where I work, and I have been doing this for six years. It takes about an hour. I also jog back home after getting off from work.”
Mr To also told how a motorcycle accident, in which his brother broke a leg, helped him to become a firefighter.
“It was my fault. I was a teenager who had just earned his motorcycling licence. My brother was the injured passenger,” he said. “Thank God my brother’s leg is all right now. I saw firemen help me and my brother with all their might, so I decided to become one too, and it has been my job for more than 20 years. I love my job very much because now I can help people when they are in danger.”
Brazilian fireman Fabricio Nascimento beat 204 competitors from 25 countries to be crowned the world’s toughest firefighter.