The "bird's nest" that flashes blue light and shadow, the glowing "snowflakes" that rotate in mid-air, the gaze that is amazing... Paralympic ice hockey player Andrea Macri, who returned to Italy, can't wait to share the joy and emotion of her experience in Beijing with her friends.
China's Zhang Zheng (right) competes with Italy's Andrea Macri in a match on March 8.
"Thank you for the smiles of the volunteers, thank you for the hard work of the athletes, thank you for everything in the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games!" Friendship lasts forever! Macri wrote in a "photo wall" post. At the end of the post, he also "showed off" the Chinese pinyin he had learned not long ago: "xiexie (thank you)".
"The Chinese Paralympic ice hockey team won the bronze medal in its first Winter Paralympic competition, and its performance was amazing." "We played against the Chinese team in the group stage, and I was impressed by the No. 17 (Shen Yifeng) of the Chinese team, whose level was above many of our players, and he was very flexible in stopping and turning, and the speed was very fast," Macri said. ”
Chinese player Shen Yifeng (right) attacks during a match on March 12.
Compared with the fourth result of the Pyeongchang Winter Paralympic Games, the Italian Paralympic ice hockey team tried its best but only finished fifth, and Macri was a little disappointed. The reason for this is that the aging of the Italian squad is an indisputable fact.
"In our country, there are very few people with disabilities who play hockey. Four years later, we're going to have the Paralympic Winter in Italy, and I really hope to do something for the team, to find more young strength and make the team stronger. Macri said.
"Hockey gives strength to people and makes life better." Macri has always inspired young people with disabilities to participate in the sport with his own experience of practicing hockey and getting back on track.
China's Li Macro (left) competes with Italy's Andrea Macri in a match on March 8.
At the age of 17, a sudden accident left Macri paraplegic. "I lost faith in life for a while, and it was sports like ice hockey that rekindled my passion for life." Macri said. With the support of his family, he began to participate in sports rehabilitation projects.
Macri has gradually come out of the haze of life by practicing wheelchair fencing and paralympic ice hockey. "I prefer the ice hockey sport with more team characteristics to fencing." Macri said.
The communication and cooperation with his teammates has made him more cheerful and optimistic, and the experience of competing in various places has broadened his horizons. In 2017, Macri became the athlete representative of the IPC's Hockey Sports Technical Committee.
"The ice hockey game for the disabled is fierce and enjoyable, and I hope that more young people with disabilities will devote themselves to this sport, and more people will come to watch the ice hockey game for the disabled, and change the 'visibility' of this sport among the disabled." Macri said.