by sportswriters Li Chunyu, Zheng Zhi and Jiao Ziqi
CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Eyes filled with tears, the Chinese curlers and coaching staff could no longer contain their emotions after winning the first-ever wheelchair curling mixed doubles title at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games here on Wednesday.
In the mixed doubles final, China's Wang Meng and Yang Jinqiao edged South Korea's Baek Hye-jin and Lee Yong-suk 9-7 to claim the historic gold medal.
"A pair can also form a team. Together with our coaches, we unite as one to top the podium," said Yang.
The mixed doubles event made its Winter Paralympic debut at Milan-Cortina 2026 with eight teams in the field. China topped the round-robin standings with six wins and one loss to reach the last four. After beating Latvia 8-3 in the semifinals, China stood one step away from the title.
In the final, China once led 7-3, but South Korea rallied to tie the match at 7-7 and force an extra end.
China seized its chance in the decisive end, scoring two points to secure victory.
"The pressure made us compete even better. We adjusted our strategies and mentality during the match. I am satisfied with our performance," said Wang.
At PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022, China won back-to-back titles in the Winter Paralympic wheelchair curling mixed team event.
The 37-year-old Wang was a member of China's gold-winning team at PyeongChang 2018 and later teamed up with Yang for the mixed doubles event at Milan-Cortina 2026.
"I started my curling career in 2018. When I saw China won the gold of wheelchair curling in PyeongChang, I was so excited and proud of them," Yang recalled.
"So you were inspired by me? Taking me as a role model?" Wang joked. Yang smiled, nodded and said, "Yes. For sure."
The Chinese pair, separated by a 13-year age gap, began their partnership in 2023 and won silver in mixed doubles at the 2024 World Championships.
In Wang's eyes, Yang is a resourceful curler who is always full of energy and competes with composure on the ice.
"We communicate a lot both on and off the ice. Milan-Cortina 2026 marks my first Winter Paralympic journey. I gradually accumulated experience during this process," said Yang.
The 24-year-old added, "Young athletes should have vitality. I told myself to be brave and take on challenges. Whether leading or lagging behind, I tried to stay calm and not to rush."
In wheelchair curling mixed doubles, each team has only five shots in each end and sweeping is not allowed. That means every shot must be carefully calculated to place the stone as close as possible to the center of the target and score points.
"The requirement for precision is even higher in the mixed doubles, bringing more pressure to curlers. Wang and Yang complement each other. At a fast pace in competition, they made quick tactical decisions with a strong team work," said Ru Xia, coach of China's wheelchair curling team.
"I'm very pleased with our team fighting all the way to win the gold. We performed what we practiced in training. They handled pressure to make decisive shots and showed resilience on the Winter Paralympic stage," Ru remarked.
"Always trust teammates and coaches. We encourage each other all the time and never give up in the face of difficulties. We strive to throw stones to the best position as we could and then just wait," Wang noted. "Fortunately, we made our wishes fulfilled." ■
