Born with only the upper part of his right arm due to malpositioning in the womb, college student Fan Hung-hao (范弘昊) has taken on the world and made his own destiny, disability be damned.
So far, Fan has succeeded.
With a skill stemming from years of practice, Fan has been playing basketball since his junior-high school days, and has always been the captain of his school’s basketball teams.
Photo courtesy of Fan Hung-hao
Now studying creative design at Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Fan has won multiple silver medals in the International salon of Inventions and Innovation competitions in Ukraine and Poland.
He also won the gold medal in the Taiwan International Invention and Design Fair.
However, his most renowned design might be the shoes he created for now-retired Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant last summer.
Photo: Liao Shu-ling, Taipei Times
The design is branded by Nike as the Nike Zoom Kobe Venomenon 5 Dreams.
Fan said that he was given the chance to deliver the design to Bryant for his collection, adding that the experience was be one of the most treasured memories of his life.
Fan said that he was extremely proud that he had come up with the design, adding that a pair of the shoes are on display at the Nike flagship store in Taipei.
While Fan has spent many hours practicing his own skills in the sport, he said he wanted to thank his parents for their influence and guidance.
Fan said that his father had taught him basketball and told him to never hide his right arm, as he usually tried to when he was younger.
“Without [my father’s] advice, I might not have been able to set aside my inferiority complex,” Fan said.
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