Chinese athletes triumph at Rio Paralympics

World Today

Xu QingXu Qing lost his arms in an accident when he was six, but this hasn’t stopped him from embracing new opportunities.

At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, Chinese athletes have fared exceptionally. Some of their accomplishments this year:

  • In track-and-field, China won the men’s 4-by-400 meters.
  • China’s women set world records in the 200-meters and 15-hundred meters.
  • In the pool, China won the women’s 100-meter free-style. 
  • China also took gold in men’s and women’s table tennis.

Zheng Chunying gave us this report.

At the Paralympics, China has become only the third country in the history of the event to win more than 100 gold medals at a single edition of the games. And the cheering crowds have been impressed not only with this tally but also by the spirit of the athletes competing.

It’s not about what they can’t do… But only about what they can….

High performance paralympian Xu Qing for example lost his arms in an accident when he was six, but this hasn’t stopped him from embracing new opportunities. He began swimming training at 7 after being introduced to the sport by a doctor who had himself been a paralympian.

Always hungry for new challenges, Xu was destined to be a strong swimmer and competed in World Championships at the age of 12. Since then he has competed in four Paralympic Games and went on to become a ten-times gold medal winner.

And China’s other athletes have bagged over 100 gold medals in this year’s Paralympics.

In track-and-field, China won the men's 4-by-400 meters.

In track-and-field, China won the men’s 4-by-400 meters.

China’s Chef de Mission, Zhang Haidi, says China is ready to host the Winter Paralympics in 2022.

“Our athletes shoulder the hopes of our country, and the hopes of our 85 million brothers and sisters with disabilities in China,” said Zhang. “We are deeply touched by their performance so far. You can clearly feel their passion and fighting spirit.”

For the paralympians in Rio, their life journey didn’t end with their disability. Difficulties and pain may have shaped them – but it has never defined them.