LEGO Makes Awesome Paralympian Swimmer Figurines
Never mind a Wheaties box. Two of Singapore’s Paralympic champions have been immortalized as something even cooler: LEGO figurines! The toy company unveiled mini-fig versions of swimmers Yip Pin Xiu and Theresa Goh that resemble the athletes right down to their swimsuits and medals, according to LEGO Singapore’s official Facebook. Yip is a two-time gold medalist, and Goh recently won her first medal, a bronze, at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio.
“Congratulations to Yip Pin Xiu and Theresa Goh for bringing pride to Singapore! Your accomplishments have inspired us all,” the company wrote in a post on Facebook that shows the duo’s LEGO look-alikes.
The post had gotten more than 4,300 reactions at the time of this article’s publication and enthusiastic comments from grateful fans. “Selling these figures can be a good way to raise funds for future support for Paralympic sportsmen and women! Nice one LEGO,” one person commented. “Thanks for giving them their well-deserved recognition!” another wrote.
On her own Facebook, swimmer Goh thanked LEGO, writing, “Hahahah oh man this is great! Thank you!!” According to the Huffington Post, Goh was born with spina bifida, meaning “cleft spine.” It is characterized by a spinal cord that hasn’t fused completely, says the National Institutes of Health’s website.
In a tear-jerking post on Instagram, Yip congratulated teammate Goh on her victory, which was a long time coming.
A photo posted by Yip Pin Xiu (@yippinxiu) on Sep 11, 2016 at 7:14pm PDT
Yip has muscular dystrophy, according to the Huffington Post, but that didn’t stop her becoming Singapore’s first medal winner in the Rio 2016 Paralympics, where she nabbed gold for the women’s 100m backstroke – S2.
Though fans are eager to get their hands on the adorable figures, LEGO told the BBC that there are currently no plans to put the toys up for sale.
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