Paralympian finds new life in sports after accident

Three years ago, Mao shifted to train for cross-country skiing.

"As an older athlete, he recovers slowly. He persevered through sheer willpower," Fan said.

Mao said that when he decided to be a professional athlete, he told himself there was no turning back.

"I have experienced the bitterness of life and the low ebb of fate, and I know this is a rare opportunity that I must seize," he said.

Everyone's body has its limits. When he was suffering through the period of fatigue caused by overtraining, he thought he was too old to compete in the Olympics .

"But I never gave up. With the support of my team, I stepped toward my goals one by one," he said.

"Although I'm not young now, I will keep training and eye on more gold medals as long as I can."