Chinese para cross-country skiers set new record through spirit of perseverance

Under the deafening sound of cheering, Chinese athlete Zheng Peng looked very exhausted as he rushed across the finish line in the Men's Sprint Sitting final for Para Cross-Country Skiing and won his second gold medal at the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics on Wednesday.

"The temperature difference between the morning and the afternoon was relatively great, a bit similar to the time in Pyeongchang. I was worried that the skiing would not be good due to the weather, so I was still a bit of nervous," Zheng told the Xinhua News Agency after the event.

Before Beijing 2022, Zheng finished fourth in the 15 Kilometer Sitting event at PyeongChang 2018. He was only 15.8 seconds away from obtaining a Paralympic medal.

This time at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, he made up for his regret and proved himself by pocketing two gold medals. He claimed his first gold in the Para Cross-Country Skiing Men's Long Distance Sitting on Sunday. His win on Wednesday made him the first Chinese winter Paralympian to bag two Paralympic golds at the current Games.

Asked how he felt after winning two gold medals, Zheng said the biggest change is that the Chinese team is getting stronger.

"Our country has supplied us with all the equipment, and the staff and viewers are cheering us on, shouting in rhythm for us, which is very helpful, thank you," he said.

Zheng's teammate Mao Zhongwu took second place, bagging a silver medal in the Men's Sprint Sitting final.

Mao, 35, didn't join the national team until 2018, so many of his younger teammates have more experience than him. But he trained very hard by getting up earlier and going to bed later than the others.

He mentioned that he got dizzying headaches when he first started training and needed two people to help him for a while after he sustained a training injury. But he felt his physical condition has improved after years of training, which included one year of wheelchair racing and four years of cross-country skiing.

"Now I can ski 18 kilometers, and am able to compete with other guys on the international stage. I feel I have changed a great deal."

"Through this platform, I want to tell my friends with disabilities that no matter what difficulties you encounter in life and what kind of jokes fate plays on you, you should never give up. Your future will definitely be better as long as you work hard," Mao said.

Similar to Zheng, Yang Hongqiong, 32, has also won two gold medals, one in the Women's Long Distance Sitting on Sunday and the other in the Women's Sprint Sitting final on Wednesday.

"In the sprint, winning or losing depends on even a few seconds. During the race, I didn't care whether my opponents were catching up. Anyway, I was the only one on the field. I skied my own way," she said, according to Xinhua.