Beyond mental toughness, Fu stressed that comprehensive improvements in training conditions have played a significant role in achieving breakthroughs. These include the establishment of domestic, year-round skiing venues, upgrades in equipment and training plans, and the addition of supporting staff, ranging from doctors to ski waxing technicians.

The indomitable spirit of the Paralympics shone beyond the top of the podium. Liu Sitong, who claimed four bronze medals in the alpine skiing sitting class, tackled what many skiers described as the most challenging slopes with joy.

"I am not afraid of the steep slopes at all. I actually quite enjoy the risks. My body may not be fully able, but I am completely free on the snow and can go in any direction I want," said Liu.

Recalling an incident that hurt her arm and cost her weeks of training on snow before the Games, Liu said that she pulled through the rough patch with the conviction that she would by no means bail out and must be present on the starting line.

"Eight years ago, I was the only para alpine skier from China, and now the number of people on our team has expanded to 22," she said. "I hope that more people get the opportunity to enjoy the sense of freedom and excitement in winter sports."

Ji Lijia, who defended his championship title in the snowboard cross SB-UL class, said he has grown increasingly outgoing and confident over the past four years.

He no longer hides his residual left limb with long sleeves, and now raises both arms high on the podium, in an effort to inspire more people like him.

Ji credited his victory partly to training alongside able-bodied athletes in recent years. "They push us to go all out to keep up and constantly surpass our limits. Able-bodied snowboarders also shared that they are inspired by our perseverance," he said.

"I hope for more opportunities to learn, compete and improve alongside able-bodied athletes," he added.

In the wheelchair curling segment, Chinese athletes claimed gold in the inaugural mixed doubles event and silver in the mixed team competition.

Wang Meng added the first-ever gold in mixed doubles to her two previous Paralympic titles. She said the process of preparing for the newly added event was arduous, but they managed to stay composed, patient and united as one on the ice to make history.

"We hope that more people with disabilities can draw inspiration and power from our hard but rewarding journey, open their hearts, and engage in ice and snow sports or other social activities," she said.