"whether or not we stand on the podium, we are the pride of the country", paralympic athletes return to shanghai
2024-09-13
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on the afternoon of september 11, shanghai athletes and coaches who participated in the paris paralympic games returned to shanghai by plane, and the shanghai disabled persons' culture and sports promotion center held a welcoming ceremony.
on the afternoon of september 11, the athletes of the paralympic games arrived in shanghai and received flowers as soon as they got off the bus. all the pictures in this article were taken by cao dan
at this paralympic games, shanghai paralympic athletes fought hard, worked together, and won 9 gold, 5 silver, and 5 bronze medals for the chinese sports delegation, breaking 1 world record and 1 paralympic record.
"our efforts are worth it," said wheelchair fencing athlete gu haiyan. as soon as she got off the bus, she and other athletes received flowers and a warm welcome. in this paralympic games, gu haiyan won 3 golds, 1 silver and 1 bronze. she said that when she stood on the podium, she felt very proud and grateful to the coaches and staff who silently supported her.
the olympic games are rare because they are held every four years. every opportunity is precious. gu haiyan always devotes herself to it and does not want to leave any regrets. she said that in competitive games, one should "not be afraid of losing, but also not admit defeat" and "keep moving forward even if you lose."
it is worth mentioning that she also served as the flag bearer of the chinese sports delegation at the opening ceremony of the paralympic games, holding the five-star red flag, which is also a kind of pride for her. "that day, waving the five-star red flag in the paris stadium, i felt that more foreign friends saw our chinese spirit of self-improvement and hard work, and i was very proud at that time," said gu haiyan.
wheelchair racing athlete dai yunqiang also reaped many rewards at this paralympic games - 1 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze, and broke the paralympic record in the men's 400m t54 final of wheelchair racing.
"it was like a dream, i won the championship in a dream." looking back at the moment of winning the championship, dai yunqiang still felt it was a pleasant surprise. he is not good at expressing himself. he has been practicing since he joined the shanghai disabled sports and culture promotion center in 2016 to train wheelchair racing. he insisted on losing weight for 2 years to better adapt to the project. he summarized the secret as "eat less and practice more". after the competition, he has nearly a month of vacation and plans to go back to his hometown in shandong.
"at the paris paralympics, the chinese wheelchair fencing team members fully demonstrated their skills and completed the task with two gold medals in excess of the target. especially when encountering some difficulties, the athletes kept their composure and performed very well." the shanghai athletes of the wheelchair fencing team won 6 gold medals in this paralympic games. chinese wheelchair fencing team coach kong lingsen fully affirmed the performance of the athletes.
at the same time, kong lingsen also hopes that chinese fencing can continue to develop. "after stepping down from the podium, everything starts from scratch. i hope the athletes can maintain their form, try their best to persevere, and continue to achieve good results in subsequent competitions."
the shanghai disabled persons' culture and sports promotion center held a welcoming ceremony for the athletes.
at the welcoming ceremony, du songquan, secretary of the party leadership group and chairman of the shanghai disabled persons’ federation, said that the athletes worked together in unity and fought tenaciously to achieve results that surpassed those of the tokyo paralympic games (9 golds, 3 silvers and 4 bronzes), and interpreted the olympic motto of "faster, higher, stronger - more united" with practical actions.
"every athlete, whether standing on the podium or not, is the pride of the country, and has allowed the people of the world to see the chinese people's ambition, sharpness and confidence. they have seen the contemporary style of chinese people's self-respect, self-confidence, self-reliance and independence among disabled people." he said that behind every honor is the dedication of athletes, coaches and support staff, and he hopes that the athletes will continue to work hard.
the paper reporter chen yue and intern cao dan
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