Yang Hongqiong (R) of China competes during the Para Cross-Country Skiing Women's Sprint Sitting Final of Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics at National Biathlon Center in Zhangjiakou, north China's Hebei Province, March 9, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhao Zishuo)
CHONGLI, Zhangjiakou, March 9 (Xinhua) -- After winning the long distance sitting three days ago, China's Para cross country skier Yang Hongqiong grabbed her second gold here on Wednesday from the sprint sitting event, earning the host nation the 10th gold medal at the Beijing 2022.
Yang finished the 1.3-kilometer race in three minutes 18.2 seconds, followed by American veteran Oksana Masters, who was a 1.7 seconds behind and also ranked second after Yang in the long distance sitting here. Another Chinese Li Panpan was third, trailing the winner by 12.8 seconds.
Yang was the first female athlete to win two gold medals after Zheng Peng just became the first Chinese athlete to bag two Paralympic gold medals with his victories in men's sprint and long distance sitting events.
China had collected just one medal from six editions of Paralympics since its debut at Salt Lake City 2002 - a gold out of wheelchair curling at PyeongChang 2018, but the 96-strong home contingent is now a distant leader in the medals tally with 10 golds and 31 in total. ■
Yang Hongqiong of China reacts after the Para Cross-Country Skiing Women's Sprint Sitting Final of Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics at National Biathlon Center in Zhangjiakou, north China's Hebei Province, March 9, 2022. (Xinhua/Hou Zhaokang)
Li Panpan of China reacts after the Para Cross-Country Skiing Women's Sprint Sitting Final of Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics at National Biathlon Center in Zhangjiakou, north China's Hebei Province, March 9, 2022. (Xinhua/Hou Zhaokang)
