At 76, woman remains unstoppable on wheels

When retired nurse Wu Xiuying, 76, glides on rollerblades along the Songhua River in Jilin city, Jilin province, she's sure to attract attention — especially when she carries things on her head, such as bottles of water or a stack of fish bowls, complete with fish.

She has been a skating enthusiast for more than 16 years, branching out to the skateboard about a year ago.

"In 2003, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer," she said. "But I was not defeated by the disease."

After recovering from surgery, she adopted a regimen of daily exercise to build up her body.

"My grandson was a skater, and I found it interesting. So I started practicing with him," she said. "From then on, I've spent more than four hours a day on my skates."

She doesn't limit herself to wide, open spaces; she also practices at home and wears her in-line skates while shopping. As her skills developed, she branched out into new territory, carrying different objects on her head.

In September 2016, Wu climbed Mount Tai in Shandong province in 10 and a half hours wearing her in-line skates.

Skateboarding, which she took up in 2020, was a perfect match.

"It makes me healthy and strong," she said. "It puts me in a good mood. I will continue to practice and will climb Mount Tai again when I'm 80."