Feature: 12-year-old figure skating devotee makes it to the top (13)

Photo shows Yu Zhile performing the sport of figure skating. (Photo/Xinhua)

"I think it’s cool to be able to stick to the things that I love," said Yu Zhile, a 12-year-old middle school student from Nanjing, the capital of east China's Jiangsu province, who is about to be awarded the title of national first-class figure skating athlete.

Yu first came into contact with figure skating at the age of 6, when the boy first witnessed his cousin practicing skating. Out of curiosity, he too started to learn how to skate. "At that time, my dad also promised me he would buy a pair of ice skates for me if I agreed to finish 10 skating lessons," Yu recalled.

Over the past six years, Yu has stumbled and fallen countless times during his repeated training sessions. Moreover, he encountered a major setback last year when his left foot suffered a fracture, which forced him to halt all physical activities at that time. Fortunately, the boy was able to resume his practice sessions following three months of rehabilitation.

"It is really tough to practice skating," he noted. However, thanks to his immense passion for the sport, the boy never thought about giving up.

As a middle school student, Yu always strives to strike a balance between skating practice and his academic studies. For instance, Yu would sometimes participate in intensified training sessions, competitions and graded examinations hosted in other cities, which meant that he couldn’t attend classes regularly at school, so the boy instead learned virtually online and finished all his homework on the road during trips.

Yu also needs to divide his time between Nanjing and Shanghai, as his coach recently moved back to the latter city. "It’s tiring to keep travelling at a distance over a long time for training. But I am able to stick to it because I love the sport and my family and coach are very supportive," Yu expressed.

In March this year, Yu passed the national Level 9 figure skating test, including tests on free skating and footwork, and is about to be awarded the title of national first-class figure skater and will become the first national first-class athlete in figure skating from Jiangsu province.

"I enjoy skating. It is where my passion lies and it also teaches me how to be confident and courageous," said the boy.