Paralympic veteran finds it hard to give up competing
Eight years ago, Peng Yuanyuan was the flag-bearer of Team China at the closing ceremony of the 2010 Vancouver Paralympic Winter Games, having finished fifth in the women’s 5 km classic style standing event — China’s best Winter Paralympic performance then.
After an eight-year absence from the Paralympic Winter Games, Peng, 31, was back with the flag in her hand — the Paralympic veteran led the Chinese delegation into the stadium at the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Paralympic Winter Games on March 3, in South Korea.
“I’m very proud to be the flagbearer. It’s such an honor,” says Peng. “This is my third Paralympics.”
Peng, who has a disability in her right arm, was first recruited for the Heilongjiang team for the sprint at the age of 17. And, several months later, she was selected for the winter games team to train for cross-country skiing.
“We had just five athletes in 2005, and we developed our skills step by step,” says Peng.
Peng and her teammates did not have many opportunities then to compete abroad.
“But each time we joined a competition abroad we learned from the athletes there.”
Being an athlete is hard work. Each day, Peng would get up at 6 am to do exercises, and after breakfast she had a two-and-halfhour training session, followed by another two-hour afternoon session.
Sometimes she had to do extra training in the evening.
Cross-country skiing needs athletes to be training and competing in the snow, with only thin sportswear.
“When we trained on the ski course, the temperature used to be between minus 20 and 30. And there was one time when the temperature was -48 C,” says Peng.
“When we were skiing, we didn’t feel the cold,” says Peng. “But sometimes after training, my hair would be frozen.”
Peng says even though it (the training) was hard, she had to overcome it. “It was not only me that faced this situation. Every athlete has been there.”
Peng first took part in the Paralympic Winter Games in 2006. And in 2010 she gave her best performance at the Vancouver Games, for which she was called “the single arm heroine”.
In 2011, Peng retired and opened a small retail store in Qiqihaer, in Heilongjiang province.
She got married to her thenteammate and current coach, Fu Chunshan in 2013 and gave birth to a baby girl in 2014.
But On July 31, 2015, when Peng saw Beijing winning the bid to host the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, her dream of going to the Paralympic podium brought her back to the ski course.
Peng joined the Beijing team as a coach and athlete in 2015, and earned her the ticket to Pyeongchang Paralympic Games in December.
“I would like to thank my husband and coach. He supported and trained me.”
In Pyeongchang, she competed in the women’s 15 km freestyle standing, the 7.5 km classic style standing and sprint classic style standing, but didn’t surpass her best.
“I’m not satisfied with my results, but I tried my best,” says Peng, who has not enjoyed any holiday since last May, when she began preparing for this year’s games.
Having been away from her daughter for 10 months, Peng misses her a lot.
Describing her feelings, she says: “I just watch her playing through the video call.”
In the team, Peng is also everyone’s “big sister”, taking care of her teammates and other athletes.
Xue Hanfang, the translator of China’s para-cross-country skiing and biathlon national team, says Peng is always willing to help others.
“When we attend competitions abroad, Peng cooks for us (if the hotels don’t provide food). She also helped (the disabled) athletes with their clothes and other chores.”
“She is also keen to learn English, and sometimes helped communicate with foreigners when I was busy,” Xue says.
Peng plans to retire again next year, but her passion for the Paralympic Games will not die.
Now she is coaching nine athletes for cross-country skiing for the Beijing team.
“And I’ll probably join the 2022 Beijing Paralympic Winter Games as a coach, and I hope my athletes can fulfill my dream and stand on the podium in 2022.”