Chinese snowboarders win first individual golds at Winter Deaflympics

Chinese athletes made history by winning their first individual snowboard gold medals in the men's and the women's parallel giant slalom events at the Winter Deaflympics in Erzurum, Türkiye, on Monday.

Monday was the second anniversary of the opening of the Winter Paralympic Games in Beijing in 2022. Three Chinese snowboarders, Zhao Yueyue, Wang Lulu, and Su Shasha, finished in the top four of the women's parallel giant slalom event. Zhao won the gold, and Wang had the silver. Su came in fourth place.

In the men's race, Yang Bin and Lan Yipeng stood on the podium on behalf of China as the gold and bronze medalists, respectively. The performances of theirs and their female teammates enabled the Chinese national anthem to be played at the awards ceremonies.

Monday's contest lasted for as long as six hours. Zhao completed as many as eight runs, and Yang competed in 10. The intensity was much higher than the athletes' daily practice.

Yin Liankui, coach of the Chinese national team, said Zhao participated in the last edition of the Winter Deaflympics in Italy in 2019 and brought home a bronze medal. It was already a remarkable result, but Zhao and her teammates were not satisfied. They continued to work hard in the following years and achieved a breakthrough that made their country proud.

"The Winter Deaflympics in Italy in 2019 was the first international tournament I participated in," Wang told Xinhua News Agency. "It was one of the most memorable moments in my life. I couldn't imagine that I was here as the silver medalist five years later. This result helped me believe that years of efforts and sweats made me who I am today."

"We came to compete to prove ourselves, to make our country proud and to show the world that Chinese snowboarders can win," Wang added. "I want to thank my country, my coach and my teammates for their support, care and encouragement."