Eleven-year-old secures spot on skateboarding Olympic team

"I practiced painting and dancing, but these are too quiet. It's real fun when the skate board flies up."

Zheng fell countless times during training, hurting her teeth and legs, said Wang Zhe, Zheng's mother. Wang wanted her daughter to quit but the girl chose to persist.

"One cannot persist without enough enthusiasm," Wang said, adding the girl practices skateboarding after school almost every day. "She probably does have sporting talent, but she is self-disciplined and hard-working for sure."