The boy doctors said wouldn’t be able to walk becomes international track champion

Coupang is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, and provides equal employment opportunities to all regardless of someone’s age, gender, race, nationality, disability, or other social or personal characteristic. This includes the 454 employees with disabilities at Coupang, who continually wow customers and employees alike in all kinds of positions.  

Since 2019, we have also been hiring athletes with disabilities as employees in our Coupang Paralympic Team, providing monthly salaries, insurance, and other benefits while supporting their efforts to compete in various competitions and events. In this article, we will meet Sang-hyeok Lee, who won two gold medals in track at the 2021 Asian Youth Para Games in Bahrain. 

Around the time his twin brother learned to walk, Sang-hyeok Lee could barely crawl. His mother, concerned, went to a doctor to find out if there was anything wrong with Sang-hyeok. After multiple tests, the doctor gave her some grave news—her son had encephalopathy, suffering from severe brain lesions. “Your boy will be unable to walk or speak, and even communication will be difficult,” he said. Twenty years later, that boy went on to win two gold medals in the 100-meter and 200-meter track events in the 2021 Asian Youth Para Games, defying all expectations.

“I was first place in Korea, and now I won first place in Asia. My next goal is to be first place in the world,” Sang-hyeok said. Based on his work ethic, Sang-hyeok’s goal certainly seems within reach. Despite the fact that the Coupang Paralympic Team in Ulsan officially trains four days a week, from 9 AM to 1:30 PM on Mondays through Thursday, Sang-hyeok can be found at the gym almost every day, even on holidays, training until 11 in the evening.

“Sang-hyeok Lee is a role model for the other atheletes with disabilities,” said Captain Cheol-gyu Choi of the Coupang Paralympic Team in Ulsan. “He likes sports so much that he has turned an activity that started as rehabilitation into a full career, and he has a strong desire to win.”

While attending regular elementary, middle, and high schools, Sang-hyeok continually engaged in physical activities to work his body such as Taekwondo, kendo, and horseback riding, in addition to his physical therapy. After being hired at Coupang as an official athlete, Sang-hyeok was able to commit to his passion full-time as his living. “To commemorate my first paycheck, I treated my family to some nice beef,” he said with a laugh. “I also gave an allowance to my twin brother, who is in college.”

Currently, Sang-hyeok has his sights set on the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, giving his all during his training as a Coupang athlete. “Now I’m preparing for the Paralympics,” he said. “I hope to keep running with Coupang.”