China's Hunan hosts inaugural wheelchair marathon-Xinhua

China's Hunan hosts inaugural wheelchair marathon

Source: Xinhua

Editor: huaxia

2024-11-07 19:20:45

CHANGSHA, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Central China's Hunan Province hosted its inaugural wheelchair marathon on Thursday in Wulingyuan, a World Natural Heritage site in Zhangjiajie.

102 participants took part in the event, propelling their manual wheelchairs along a 5-kilometer route, with Li Bin and Xu Chunfen finishing first in men's and women's competitions, respectively.

"The course was grueling, with a continuous 5-kilometer uphill stretch. Through events like this, we hope to show that, even in wheelchairs, we can still take on marathons and lead full lives," said Li, who highlighted that wheelchair marathon inspires people with disabilities to embrace sports and engage with society.

"Competing in such a beautiful setting motivated me to push my limits and move forward with courage," said Xu.