KUNMING, Southwest China -- The narration of his maternal love is something bordering on superstition swimmer Wang Xiaofu, winning the tag of China's Michael Phelps in S8 for the disabled athletes, finds every time his big-time performance is related to his mother in some way.

"Often in time of sickness during the training, my mum will call me the next day, saying she had a bad dream and worried about my health," said the 19-year-old paralympian of the Yunnan native. To him, the Mother's Day being on the first competition day of the 7th Chinese National Games for the Disabled, therefore, is no coincidence.

After losing his right arm in a high-voltage electric accident at five, Wang tends to believe his mum has become his another arm on his way to smash all the world records of 50m, 100m, 400m freestyles, 100m butterfly and 200m individual medley.

To him, the National Games for the Disabled, holding here in the capital city of Kunming, China's southwest Yunnan province, running from 12 to 20, is another opportunity to pay homage to his mother, Tian Lifen in her 40s.

"It will be totally impossible for me to make these records without the support of my mum," said Wang, who set the flame to a phoenix that flew to ignite the cauldron at the opening ceremony on Saturday, "My mum is always standing behind me, to kindly remind, protect and encourage me."

At age of 12, Wang was selected into the provincial training team. He left his hometown of Yuxi for the first time, the other hosting city of the Games, traveling some 100 kilometers for a new life in Kunming.

"You have to sort it out right now. We can still leave if you don't want to stay (at the center)," said his mother who escorted him to the entrance of the training center. Wang gave his mother an affirmative answer, saying "since I've come, I'll stay."

Ever since then, Tian's life was often tipped over by his son's homesick calls. "He is living alone at such a young age, he just misses me. When it rains, he can not sleep and walk all the way in the pouring rain to call me from the public telephone booth."

Mum's words soothe and comfort his troubled thoughts. After the long talk, Wang heads back into the rain and goes back to the dormitory, bedraggled.

However, jarringly different from this soft juvenile image, someone might tend to tag him as "mamma boy", Wang has shown to the people from all over the world the amazing performances in the swimming pool.

Like the iconic swimming prodigy Phelps who has six world records to his credit, Wang collected five gold medals in 2001 from the Asian Games and the Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled, breaking two world records. In the same year, he rewrote three other world records in the World Championships in Argentina by winning five gold medals.

In the 2004 Athens Paralympics, he won three gold medals, one silver and one bronze.

Of the secret for his "Phelps Phenomenon", Wang says what he misses most is his mum's cuisine whenever a big game draws near. "Sometimes, mum will really bring all her cooked food for me to munch on."

To his mother, a restaurant owner in the city of Yuxi, all she cares is different from his son. "Seriously, I really don't care about those medals or record-breaking things. As long as he is healthy, I'll be good."