Para-athletes prep for powder prizes

Nation's top disabled snowboarders, skiers are hitting the hills ahead of Beijing 2022. Cui Jia reports.

Wu Zhongwei, a member of China's paralympic snowboarding team, said the moment he takes off during a jump and hangs in the air is when he gets the greatest satisfaction from his rides down the mountain.

It's also the moment that makes him completely forget his disability and reminds him that he can even do things that able-bodied people cannot achieve.

Along with 20 teammates, the 26-year-old has been working hard preparing for the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics in Chongli district, Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, which will co-host the games with the capital.

"Snowboarding has given me a purpose in life again and made me feel unstoppable," said Wu, who uses a prosthesis because his lower left leg was amputated following a car accident in 2014.

After the accident, Wu said he felt hopeless about life and became depressed. He locked himself at home for two years, doing nothing but playing video games all day long.

"A friend couldn't stand seeing me like that, so he suggested that I join the local para-cycling team in Hebei in 2016, even though I had never been keen on sports before," he said.

"That decision changed my life because by overcoming the difficulties in sports, I regained my confidence. It was not an easy thing to do."