China's Paralympic delegation have made their triumphant return to the capital city following 12-days of competition in Rio. With a massive haul of 239 medals, the team achieved the best result ever for the nation at the Games while also topping the medal table for the fourth Paralympics in a row, and fans here were eager to welcome them home.
China sent 307 athletes to the Rio Paralympics and they won 107 gold medals and 239 medals in total, leading in both counts for the fourth consecutive time. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com] |
Hundreds of well-wishers were waiting at the Beijing Capital International Airport carrying banners and signs to greet their heroes. 307 Paralympians arrived home after more than 20 hours of flight. Although the flight was delayed for more than two hours and arrived in Beijing near midnight, fans were still waiting and excited to greet the athletes. The team enjoyed a standing ovation when they walked out of the terminal. Among the group was Xu Donglin, a guide runner who helped China's Liu Cuiqing win gold in the women's 4x100m T11 relay and the 400 meters T11 despite suffering from a torn ligament during the race. He says he is excited to be back home and shared his experience from Rio.
"This was my second Paralympics and if I get a chance for a third, I'll continue to work hard for more glory. During the race in Rio, it was extremely painful due to my leg injury, but I said to myself that I have to finish even if it means walking over the finish line. We had been working so hard for this moment for such a long time, and I didn't want Liu to lose because of me. So I managed to finish the race with a bandage on my leg, and we won the title in the end," Guider runner Xu Donglin said.
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