Liang Jingyi competes in the men's super-G standing para alpine skiing at the Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Center on March 6, 2022. Photo: VCG

On Sunday, the second competition day of the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics, the speed at which Team China won medals stunned spectators, who commented they are having trouble keeping up.

At one point, Team China won five medals in just 50 minutes.

In all, Team China bagged eight medals on Sunday - including four golds, one silver and three bronzes - and jumped to the top spot on the medal table with a total of 16 medals.

Team China's first medal on ­Sunday was won during the ­women's super-G vision impaired. Skier Zhu Daqing, 32, won the bronze medal following her silver medal, the first medal for Team China at the Paralympic Games, during the alpine skiing women's downhill vision impaired on Saturday.

Zhu missed out on the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games at the age of 18. A track and field athlete at the time, she had to take a pass on the Games as doctors told her that she needed to undergo immediate surgery or risk the loss of her remaining vision.

Her track and field background gave her the foundation she needed to try out for China's disabled alpine skiing national team, leading to her finally achieving her dreams of competing at a Paralympics hosted by her home country.

"I think it's easier to face difficulties than regret. This time I needed to compete in front of our house's doorway, so I tried to show my best," Zhu said.

The first gold medal of Sunday was bagged by 19-year-old skier Zhang Mengqiu in the women's ­super-G standing event, which helped Team China make a breakthrough in alpine skiing at the Winter Paralympic Games.

Zhang Mengqiu competes in the women's super-G standing event on March 6, 2022. Photo: VCG

An athlete with cerebral palsy, it may take Zhang longer to learn a certain move, but she has never let this deter her. Her coach remarked that she has an indomitable spirit and a willingness to train hard, the China News Service reported.

Team China also won a medal each in the men's long distance sitting and women's long distance sitting in cross-country skiing.

Zheng Peng bagged a gold medal and Mao Zhongwu a silver in the men's long distance sitting, while fellow team member Du Tian ranked fourth, coming in behind Canadian skier Collin Cameron.

Yang Hongqiong, 32, won a gold medal in the women's long distance sitting event, while Li Panpan earned the bronze.

"I want to congratulate them one by one, but the speed at which they won medals was faster than my ability to send congratulations," one Sina Weibo user wrote in a post that got many thumbs up from other Chinese netizens.

Many netizens agreed that Team China's performance at the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics reflects the competitiveness of Chinese athletes and their continued development. 

Chinese athletes' stunning performance and competitive spirit at the Winter Paralympic Games have also inspired many Chinese, especially young people and people with disabilities.

Fang, a 16-year-old Beijing high school student, told the Global Times on Sunday that "when I see these athletes with visual impairments or amputated limbs flying over the snow and ice, I feel I should learn from them and never give up heading to my own destination." 

Some people who know people with disabilities also expressed their feelings after watching the Games.

"I think our attitudes as viewers can show how China's Para athletes have advanced," Yang Yu, a volunteer who works with people with disabilities, told the Global Times. 

"When it comes to people who use wheelchairs, some people think, 'If he succeeds at anything, it must be a miracle,' but the fact is that they can take part in sports competitions. These athletes don't see themselves as being any different than the majority of people. This confidence is the key to their success, I think. 

"I noticed a change in that people around me commenting on the Para athletes are no longer purely expressing sympathy, but also commenting on how good their skills are. This way of thinking moves China's Para sports forward. I am you, you are me."