Athletes with visual disabilities use an electronic rifle guided by acoustic signals. To experience what it feels like to aim and shoot based on the pitch of the sound transmitted into their headphones, Fu and other coaches practiced the same way.

"The headphones give off a very noisy sound. After practicing for a long time, my ears will start ringing. This made me truly understand how difficult it is for athletes with visual disabilities," Fu said.

This system of people and programs, combined with the grit and adaptability of the athletes, has removed critical barriers for para athletes and helped them achieve high performances on the international stage.

Cai Jiayun, who won three gold medals in the standing class at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, was trailing in the final stretch of the men's sprint pursuit event but overtook the leading Ukrainian skier to win by 0.2 seconds.

"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 did my best."

Beyond willpower, Fu said that the Chinese athletes' explosive sprints at the end of races were partly due to a weekly training session dedicated to improving this specific capability — incorporating lunges for standing-class athletes and hyperextensions for sitting athletes.

Yu Shuang, who finished third in the qualification round of the men's sprint pursuit for the blind and partially sighted, asked the team's wax technician to adjust the wax on his skis according to the snow conditions.

"After getting a feel for the course during the qualification round, I believed that a deficit of over 10 seconds could be made up by changing the wax," he said. He later won the gold medal in the event.

Guo Yujie, 22, left this year's Paralympics with regrets, missing the podium in all her events. Still, she said she learned a valuable lesson in self-confidence and tenacity.

"We Chinese athletes train nearly 11 months each year, and our training is scientifically formulated and supported by high-performance equipment. Despite the relatively warm temperatures and the slushy, grabby snow here in Italy, we have adapted well," she said.

On a personal level, Guo said she has overcome injuries, as well as the frustrations and doubts raised by lackluster results ahead of the Paralympics, just to stand at the starting line.

"The silver lining is that I feel my shooting has become more stable," she said. "More importantly, going through setbacks this time has toughened me up. If I can rise from disappointment on a stage like the Paralympics, then there is no difficulty in life that I cannot overcome."

wangxiaoyu@chinadaily.com.cn