Wu 'outdoes himself' to bring home snowboard cross gold

A relatively new prosthetic leg, a bruised face from falls during training, and a less-than-ideal starting position — all the odds seemed stacked against China's para snowboarder Wu Zhongwei as he entered his first final at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Paralympics on Sunday.

Compounding the challenge, the 30-year-old's chance at gold grew even slimmer when two competitors ahead of him made contact and fell, threatening to throw Wu, who was closing in from fourth place, off balance.

Yet Wu, in his words, "outdid himself", navigating cleanly around the fallen riders with a deft detour.

Though the incident visibly widened the gap between him and the leader Noah Elliott of the United States, Wu powered through the remainder of the course. He executed the final jump better than his opponent and crossed the finish line first, winning gold in the men's snowboard cross SB-LL1 event.

"I hadn't mentally prepared for a crash and wasn't sure I could safely pass the two riders on the ground,"Wu said.

"In that split second, when I managed to get by, I was surprised, too, but I quickly shifted focus and kept speeding forward."

In snowboard cross, competitors race down a course featuring ramps, bumps and sharp turns. Elimination rounds see four athletes battling side by side.

Wu claimed bronze in the same event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympics. "Back then, I could only watch the leader move farther and farther ahead until they were out of sight. I simply couldn't catch up," he recalled.

"This time, I feel I've truly elevated my game. That's why I could push to the front near the end. Another huge source of strength came from my coach, who encouraged me and convinced me to believe in myself."

Defeating the odds and defying personal limits have defined Wu, a native of Hebei province.

At 18, Wu lost his lower left leg in a car accident. About two years later, he joined a local para cycling team. After para snowboard was held as a stand-alone sport for the first time at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, Wu was selected to transition to snowboarding.

"Snowboarding gave me purpose again and made me feel unstoppable," he said at the time.

During last year's world championships, Wu broke his prosthetic leg and struggled to adapt to a new one.

"For a long time, no matter how I adjusted it, I just couldn't find the right feel. My riding lacked its usual flow," Wu said.

It wasn't until a competition in late January that he began to regain his form, thanks to persistent adjustments and support from the team's technical staff.

"I'm no longer a young athlete. Most of the time, I feel like I'm playing catch-up to the leaders," he said."But I still want to prove myself.

"Today's gold is a result of both perseverance and a bit of luck," he added. "I have another event on March 14, so I'll stay focused and prepare for what's next."

As of Tuesday, China led the medal standings with a total of 17, including eight gold, five silver and four bronze medals.

This edition of the Winter Paralympics is already the nation's most successful overseas campaign since its first participation at Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2002.

State Councilor Shen Yiqin, also director of the State Council's Working Committee for Disabled People, sent a message of congratulations to the Chinese delegation on behalf of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council for its first gold medal, won on Saturday in para biathlon.