HANGZHOU, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- China's canoeist Xie Maosan claimed the first gold medal of the Hangzhou Asian Para Games on Monday when she won the women's KL1 canoe final in 55.478 seconds.
Monika Seryu from Japan secured the silver in 1 minute 7.802 seconds and Iran's Sara Abdolmaleki took the bronze in 1 minute 13.594 seconds.
"I'm extremely thrilled to have won this gold medal. It's an honor to bring glory to my homeland," said the 37-year-old Xie.
When Xie Maosan was admitted to the national canoeing team, she was 29 years old. With an unyielding spirit and willingness to endure hardships, she finally stood on the top podium.
"As for me, canoeing is a rebirth, it gave me confidence and a new life," said Xie.
Xie's coach Li Daiyuan said, "Xie is very determined and isn't afraid of hardships or exhaustion. Even when she feels discomfort in her back during training, she insists on completing the training tasks."
Xie, who finished fifth in the women's KL1 canoe final at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, revealed her plans to win a medal at next year's Paris Paralympics.
"I will try my best to raise our national flag on the international stage," she said.
In today's other canoe finals, Chinese paddlers Yu Xiaowei and Zhong Yongyuan won the silver medals in the Men's KL1 and Women's VL3 respectively.
KL1 is for paddlers with highly affected movement in the trunk and legs. VL3 is for paddlers with full function of their arms and trunk, and partial function in the legs.
