Para athletes clinch record medals in Italy

In a remarkable demonstration of the power of resilience and solidarity, Team China delivered a stellar performance at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympics, scooping up a record haul of medals.

As the curtain came down on the Winter Paralympic Games on Sunday in Cortina, Italy, after 12 days of tough competitions, China topped the medal tally with 15 gold, 13 silver and 16 bronze medals.

This edition of the Games marked the nation's best showing at an overseas Winter Paralympics since it made its debut in Salt Lake City in the United States in 2002. The country's best showing ever was at the Beijing 2022 event when it won 18 golds.

On Sunday, the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council sent a congratulatory message to the Chinese delegation for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympics, commending the delegation for leading both the gold and overall medal tables.

Chang Zheng, vice-president of the China Disabled Persons' Federation and deputy head of the Chinese delegation, said that China sent 70 para athletes to participate in 73 of the 79 events across six sports in the Games.

"The extensive participation reflects a boom in engagement in ice and snow sports among people with disabilities," he said.

China's para biathlon and cross-country skiing team contributed 11 of the 15 gold medals. Among the winners was 25-year-old Cai Jiayun, who won three golds in the standing class.

On Friday, during the men's sprint pursuit event, Cai lagged behind in the final stretch before pushing himself to overtake the leading Ukrainian skier just before the finish line to win the race with a 0.2-second lead.

"There seemed to be no way I could catch up given the distance between us and the short time left,"Cai said. "But at that moment, I relied on my willpower. I just kept following, kept chasing and doing my best."

Fu Chunshan, coach of the biathlon and cross-country skiing team and a para athlete who represented China about two decades ago, said he was deeply moved by the fighting spirit displayed by the athletes.

One incredible win that touched him was that of Liu Zixu in the men's cross-country skiing event in the sitting class, who fought his way to the front from near the last place to win gold. Equally incredible was visually impaired athlete Yu Shuang, who rebounded from a tough start to win gold in the men's sprint pursuit event.

"The spirit of our athletes — never giving up and fighting until the very last moment — was on full display at the Games," Fu said.