Halfway through the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games, the Chinese delegation performed well, winning a total of 8 gold, 8 silver and 11 bronze, and receiving an unprecedented 27 medals.
However, athletes on the podium are after all a minority. On the field, the athletes who did not win medals also gained respect, and their tenacious and indomitable figure touched everyone.
Sun Hongsheng, who lost both arms, is one of them.
In the men's super big slalom (standing) competition of alpine skiing at the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games, Sun Hongsheng finished with a time of 1:20.88. As the only armless player in the same level of competition, Sun Hongsheng was able to skillfully control the skateboard under his feet, successfully completed the race, and performed a miracle that ordinary people could not imagine on the snow.
Sun Hongsheng was born in 1994 in Zhuanghe City, Dalian. At the age of 6, Xiao Hongsheng lost both arms because he was hit by high voltage electricity while playing with his friends. His parents were in pain, and the family was plunged into endless grief.
The great tribulation did not knock down Xiao Hongsheng. Without his arms, he learned to ride a bicycle, write homework and dial the phone with his feet. When he graduated from elementary school, he was admitted to junior high school with honors.
In 2008, Xiao Hongsheng's excellent coordination skills were discovered, and he joined a swimming team in Shenyang that was willing to accept disabled people, laying a good sports foundation.
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In 2016, Sun Hongsheng's fate ushered in a turning point. In the selection of the National Paralympic Ski Team, Sun Hongsheng was shortlisted and has since become a skier of the national team.
At first, facing the track with a maximum drop of more than 800 meters, Sun Hongsheng's heart was full of fear. Swooping down from a high mountain, without the support of a snow battle, it is difficult for Sun Hongsheng, who has no arms, to imagine.
In the face of difficulties, Sun Hongsheng did not retreat, he decided to challenge himself. "Because I don't have arms, it's hard to control the snowboard and the center of gravity, and at super high speeds, if the slopes are not smooth, it's hard for my body alone to hold the snowboards, and the huge bounce force can easily make me lose control." Sun Hongsheng said.
After being thrown off the track again and again, hitting the protective net again and again, Sun Hongsheng was not intimidated by the difficulties under the encouragement of the coach. "In order to exercise my balance on the snow, I stood on a yoga ball and practiced how to maintain my center of gravity," Sun said.
Learning from every hard descent and getting up from every fall, Sun Hongsheng paid unimaginable difficulties for ordinary people and finally stood on the field.
In 2018, Sun Hongsheng won the third place in the super big slalom (standing group) at the National Paralympic Alpine Skiing Championships and was selected for the national alpine ski team in preparation for the Beijing Paralympic Games.
On March 5, the first competition day of the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games, Sun Hongsheng finished in 1 minute and 28 seconds in the men's downhill (standing) competition of alpine skiing. As the only armless athlete in the competition at the same level, Sun Hongsheng created the history of Chinese Paralympic athletes.
On March 6, he finished again in the men's super big slalom (stand position) match.
No matter what kind of ranking he achieved, Sun Hongsheng was able to jump from the starting point of more than 2,000 meters above sea level and slide to the finish line, which has created a miracle.
"I was so excited that I slid down from the starting point." He said, "This will be the most precious memory of my life." ”