Leading by example with his own fight to the top of the podium, China's Olympic champion skater Ren Ziwei has called upon the country's youth to dream big and go beyond with hard work and perseverance.

Known as one of the world's best short-track speed skaters for his gold-winning feat at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, Ren shared his dream-come-true story on Sunday while attending the first session of the 14th National People's Congress as a deputy in Beijing.

To excel in anything in life, it takes more than just passion and interest but consistent and resilient hard work to thrive, Ren stressed.

"Life needs purpose. Everyone should stick to their own dream to keep pushing for breakthroughs," said Ren, who helped Team China win an opening gold medal in the 2,000m mixed team relay on Feb 5 last year before winning an individual title in men's 1,000m two days later.

"No matter what you are interested in, it takes dedicated efforts through years of hard work to perfect your craft and realize your dream," said Ren, who first laced up for speed skating training at the age of 8 in his home city Harbin in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province.

"My friends call me 'elephant' because it's hard for an elephant to lay down. I'll never sit back and relax in my pursuit to success. As an athlete, I take the highest pride representing my country on the track. As a Party member and a deputy to the NPC, I will live up to my responsibility to keep encourage more people to participate in winter sports and contribute my part to helping develop our country into a world sporting powerhouse."

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn