Confidence propels amputee ice skater

HOHHOT－The Greater Khingan Mountain range in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region is the coldest region in China during winter, with the temperature dipping as low as -40 C.

In the stadiums of Yakeshi, a city of ice and snow, Wang Quanli has become the brightest star on the ice rink.

"Wang has come here every single day this winter, which is admirable," said Zhang Jian, a local ice skating coach. "He has become one of the best of the elderly amateurs. Nonprofessional skaters can hardly tell he's a double amputee."

Wang grins as he stops to catch his breath. "Do your feet feel cold? Because mine don't!" he said. "I'm never mad at those people who call me a cripple. Only people with no confidence tend to deny their physical shortcomings."

Wang's friend said: "He's always this optimistic. We've never seen him worried."

Wang, 65, used to be a railway worker. Two incidents 35 years ago led to the loss of both legs and three fingers, which marked the beginning of the darkest moments of his life. "I was in hospital for two and a half years and spent another year crawling at home," Wang said. "I felt a sense of hopelessness."

Not until five years after his double amputation did Wang realize that he should try to get on with life. He put on prosthetic legs that weighted 16 kilograms each and after years of exercise, he could not only walk again but also do sports such as cycling.

"Life is about sports. Just look at me. I don't have any problems except that I don't have legs," Wang said. He believes the main deterrent to disabled people participating in sports is not physical but psychological－lack of self-esteem. "You won't die without legs," he said. "But you won't live either if you give up on yourself."

In November 2019, Wang gained enough courage to step on the ice, attach blades to his prosthetics, and try the sport he had been longing to participate in: ice skating.

"I couldn't stand at the beginning," Wang said. "I would stand, slip and fall. I can't remember how many times I fell."

With advances in technology, his prosthetics have become much lighter, but they still have a combined weight of 12 kg. Wang said wearing them hurt at first, but his skin has now become calloused and he is used to wearing the prosthetics.

He has also become a lot fitter since he took up ice skating. His blood pressure is under control and he doesn't get sick or tired easily.

"Spring arrives relatively late here and I still go skating on the river when the ice rinks are closed," he said.

"I can skate until the end of March when the water starts to flow beneath the ice."

After it gets warm, Wang turns to roller skating and starts counting down the days until the next winter.

"I have two goals. One is to skate until I am 80 years old," he said. "The other is to take part in skating competitions. The results won't really matter. What matters more is to learn skills and techniques from the best."

Xinhua