At the closing ceremony, swimmer Jiang Yuyan and track and field athlete Di Dongdong served as flag bearers for the Chinese delegation. The night before, at Paris La Defense Arena, 19-year-old Jiang shattered the world record in the women’s 100-meter backstroke S6 final with a time of 1:19.44, claiming her seventh gold medal at the Paris Paralympics.
“Standing on that podium, watching the flag rise and hearing the (national) anthem play because of my own hard work — it’s a feeling of pride and fulfillment that’s hard to describe,” Jiang said. “I often sing the anthem as loud as I can, I wonder if you can hear me.”
The Chinese delegation reaffirmed its dominance in swimming, athletics, table tennis, fencing and badminton, securing 22 gold medals in swimming and 21 in athletics.
Paralympic pool prodigy Guo Jincheng, who is easily recognizable with his shaved head and no swimming cap, competed in nine events, bringing home four gold and two silver medals.
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 