Shi Lei is 16. He is mentally handicapped, and is also one of the fastest roller-skaters in China, writes Annabel Egan.
Shi Lei doesn't get worked up about much. He's proud to have been selected to represent his country at the Special Olympics in Ireland this June, but in a quiet way.
His mother, Yuan Jing Mei, sitting beside him, is also proud. She tells me her son's involvement in sport has greatly improved his self-esteem.
However, Shi Lei's dream of representing his country at the Olympics next month looks shattered after China was asked by Ireland not to attend because of the SARS crisis.
Shi Lei's coach, Zhang Yu Cai, says skating has allowed Shi Lei to develop both socially and physically.
Roller-skating was an obvious choice for Shi Lei, he says, because he was too short for basketball.
"I chose roller skating because I love speed," Shi Lei says with a broad grin. Before SARS put China on the WHO watch list, the Chinese Special Olympic team included over 100 athletes.
In an effort to address the concerns of the Irish Government and ensure the safety of the athletes, that number was cut to 55.
Many of those living in remote or badly hit areas were to be excluded and it was suggested that the remaining athletes would place themselves in voluntary quarantine for 10 days on arrival in Ireland until pronounced symptom-free.
However, just a month before the opening ceremony in Dublin, Shi Lei and around 300 other athletes in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and the Philippines still don't know if they will be allowed participate.
Shi Lei still thinks he can come, and is as excited as he is certain. "I fully expect to go." However, all the signs are to the contrary.
The Philippines has just been removed from the WHO list of areas with recent local SARS transmissions, and if the country is still SARS-free 10 days before the team is due to arrive in Ireland, its athletes should be allowed to take part in the games. The Singaporean team also stands a good chance of being permitted to take part - but there is little hope that China will be taken off the list in time.
Coach Zhang and Shi Lei's mother are clearly worried that he is ill-prepared for the coming disappointment.
His mother adds that the enjoyment he has got from participating thus far would outweigh any future disappointment he may feel.