Chinese Paralympic alpine skier Liu Sitong, a triple bronze medalist at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympics, embodies an indomitable spirit. Despite physical challenges, she finds unparalleled freedom and joy carving through the snow, showcasing true sportsmanship and passion.
With half of the Paralympic alpine skiing events concluded, Liu Sitong has delivered consistently strong performance, claiming three bronze medals in the Downhill, Super-G, and Combined events in the women's sitting group.
Both Super-G and Downhill are speed disciplines, offering competitors just a single run to record their best time. For Super-G, athletes are allowed a limited time on race day to inspect the gates.
"You have to remember all the gate lines and turning angles, otherwise you won't know where the next gate is. There's only one chance, no room for error," said Liu.
Not long before the competition, Liu suffered an arm injury during training which meant she couldn't train on snow for two months in the lead-up to the games. As a sitting athlete, she relies heavily on her arms and outriggers for turning and balance.
"I really love alpine skiing, and I also love sports. When I was injured, suddenly being told not to ski, not to train, it felt like something disappeared from my life. It's another spiritual pillar for me," said Liu.
"After she injured her hand, knowing she couldn't go on the snow, she kept doing the coach's job, and she kept working on me. Every day she went to the gym for physical training, went swimming, always maintained a training state to keep up her physical fitness. She couldn't wait and was back on the snow in less than three weeks," said Wang Jingping, coach of the Chinese Paralympic Alpine Ski Team.
At the PyeongChang Games in 2018, Liu became China's first para alpine skier to compete at the Winter Paralympics. On home snow at Beijing 2022, Liu, who pocketed one silver and three bronze medals, was joined by many more Chinese skiers.
"I'm not afraid of steep slopes at all; I quite enjoy this feeling. You see, despite my physical inconvenience, on the snow, I am completely free. I can control it however I want. If I want to turn left, I turn left; if I want to turn right, I turn right; if I want to go straight, I go straight. So it's a feeling of great freedom. In Pyeongchang, I was the only one. By Beijing 2022, there were 22 of us. And now, for overseas competitions, so many people come. The Chinese team is now a big team," said Liu.
The 31-year-old veteran athlete hopes her sense of personal liberation on the slopes can be shared by more people.
"Actually, I hope everyone comes to take part in this sport, to enjoy the happiness brought by ice and snow, this feeling of freedom and joy," she said.
Chinese para alpine skier defies limits, finds freedom on slopes
