Yan Zhuo throws a stone in the wheelchair curling match against South Korea at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games on March 6. Photo: Xinhua

After two losses and three wins in the first three days after the opening of the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, the Chinese wheelchair curling team is still holding out hope for a home victory, considering its legendary past.

The Chinese wheelchair curling team respectively wrapped up their round robin sessions 7 and 8 on Monday, competing with Team South Korea and Switzerland, winning both at the National Aquatics Center.

On Saturday, the team lost its first round robin match to Canada 3:7.

But the defeat clearly did not bring down the team when facing a strong opponent, Team Canada, another curling legend and three-time Paralympic champion since the sport's Paralympic debut in 2006.

"We are facing a powerful opponent but I think every team is doing a great job," said Yan Zhuo, the only woman in the Chinese wheelchair curling team.

"The first defeat might have cast a cloud over the team. But still, we need to adapt and make adjustments and changes throughout the long competition cycle, and rely more on teamwork," said Yue Qingshuang, coach of the Chinese wheelchair curling team and participant in the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympic Games, after their first loss.

And that's exactly what they did. The legendary team won their next three games, starting with a 9:3 victory over Estonia on Sunday.

Hard work pays off

"Hurry! Whoa! Go, go, go, go, go!" These shouts of encouragement were often heard during each of Team China's competitions over the past three days.

In wheelchair curling competitions, sweeping on the ice is not allowed. After an athlete pushes out, players cannot affect the direction and speed of the stone, so there is normally no need for technique discussions, unlike the curling event in the Winter Olympic Games.

But there was still plenty of shouting to be heard among the Chinese wheelchair curling players, who joked that these passionate shouts were "sound-wave style ice sweeping."

The team was established in 2007. A decade later, the Chinese team knocked out defending champion Canada in the 2018 Pyeongchang Paralympic Winter Games, becoming the second country to win gold in this event.

In addition, Team China won the title at the World Wheelchair Curling Championships in 2019 and 2021.

"They [team members] are really hard workers. We normally train four hours in the mornings, but they come an hour early almost every day," said Yue, who has witnessed the team's victories over the past few years.

"We trained hard to get what we have today. We have almost year-round training, and the team members and the coaches rest less than one month in the whole year," said Hu Junfu, deputy coach of the team.

However, for the team, these intense training sessions are not a burden but more of a lifestyle which has built their confidence in a very specific way.

Yan joined the team in 2017. Born in 1992, she was diagnosed with a disability that meant she has been unable to walk since birth. The Beijing Paralympic Winter Games is her first Olympic experience.

"I practiced wheelchair archery for many years and made the transition to wheelchair curling from scratch," Yan told Chinese news outlet thepaper.cn.

After switching from a single to a team sport, Yan said that she enjoys curling a lot as it gives her "confidence to communicate with people."

"Before the whole sports thing began, I stayed at home almost every day and did not want to go outside to talk to people, like many other people with disabilities. I was so afraid when people looked at me like I was so different," said Yan.

"But now, everything has changed. I know I cannot walk but, in fact, the disability has had little impact on me, as I can actually do many of the things I want, without caring about what other people think about me."