A Chinese sports hero is facing a new challenge, 13 years after an accident left her paralysed and ended her career as a world-class gymnast.

Sang Lan (File photo)

China's Sang Lan has filed a lawsuit in the United States, one that threatens to tarnish her carefully-maintained reputation for resilience at home.

The 2.1-billion dollar suit targets everyone from Ted Turner, who founded the Goodwill Games where the accident happened in 1998, to the former AOL Time Warner media company, which owned the games in New York.

It also cites USA Gymnastics, which supported the event, along with the couple who served as Sang Lan's guardians in the city where she underwent extensive medical treatment, paid for by the insurers. The lawsuit says they all broke promises to care for Sang, who was 17 years old when the accident took place. She's been paralysed from the chest down ever since.

A wheelchair has been one indispensable part of her life since Sang Lan broke her neck during a warm-up vault at the Goodwill Games in New York in 1998.

She has been paralysed from her upper chest down since the accident.

She filed a 2.1 billion-dollar lawsuit against the former AOL Time Warner Inc. media and entertainment company and the U.S. Gymnastics Federation at the end of April, saying they and others broke promises to care for her afterward.

Sang Lan said, "I just want to find a fair answer for me. In the past, people said that Sang Lan herself lost control and made the mistake that caused her to fall. Actually, I have mentioned many times in public that the accident was not my fault. So I think I need to let people know what actually happened behind the scenes. I need to get a fair conclusion for myself regarding the incident. Furthermore, I am a firm believer that the law will be just, true and fair."

13 years ago, Sang Lan left her paralysed and ended her career as a world-class gymnast after the accident.

Reactions from Chinese media and fans have been sharply divided, an unusual situation for Sang, who in the past was a unanimous symbol of determination and courage for the public.

While some praise her for defending her rights, others have accused her of being overcome by greed or allowing herself to be used by others.

Sang Lan said, "Now there are so many abusive comments made about me on the internet, calling me brutal, cold-blooded, ungrateful, greedy, gluttonous and lazy and with no desire to move on. And these descriptions are the mild ones, there are some even more abusive comments that I don't want to say in front of the media because they are so disgusting and filthy. I just told myself, Sang Lan, you don't have to think too much about all the accusations from the society. You need to hold onto your thoughts firmly, believe in the law and keep moving forward steadily and bravely."

Sang, her manager and her lawyer have also alleged in recent days that she was the victim of improper sexual behaviour while living with the Liu family.

Sang said she will speak out regarding those claims during the hearing.

Sang Lan said, "After this was disclosed, I received a lot of accusations and blame on the internet. This indeed happened, so I think now that some people are aware of it, I will speak about what happened then. I was still young then, only 17 years old."

Sang started her gymnastic career at the age of five, and won a national vault championship in 1997.

After the injury, she underwent surgery and rehabilitation in New York for 10 months.

Back in China, Sang juggled physical therapy with studying broadcasting at Peking University before working in video journalism and lobbying for the rights of the disabled.

She carried the Olympic torch at the 2004 Athens Games and then again for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

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