Paralympic golden couple on glory trail

Zhou Feifei unleashes a throw on his way to winning the F55 men's javelin title at the ongoing 11th National Games for Persons with Disabilities in Xi'an last Friday. [Photo by Wang Jian/For China Daily]

Married couple Zhou Feifei and Dong Feixia continued their gold rush at the ongoing 11th National Games for Persons with Disabilities over the weekend.

Zhou threw a world-record 39.99 meters in the F55 discus competition to claim the couple's third gold. On Friday, he won the F55 men's javelin title, while Dong was victorious in the women's F55 discus.

"We were informed of the final schedule on Thursday, after which we didn't talk about the competitions too much," Zhou said.

"We prepared for this season for two years and we knew we were both in good shape."

On Thursday, Dong and Zhou's competition areas were right next to each other. However, Dong didn't quite get the vocal support she might have wished for because Zhou was too busy chatting with a fellow competitor.

"We are rivals, but he is an old friend of mine. We hadn't met each other for a long time, so that's why I didn't see Feixia's contest," explained Zhou. "What's more, I have confidence in Feixia."

Dong, a Paralympic gold medalist, took up discus in 2004 and has gone on to win all of the world's major honors in the sport.

The 32-year-old says "surpassing myself" is her sporting philosophy and cites basketball legend Yao Ming as her idol.

After meeting Zhou in 2013, she decided to encourage the young man, who had lost the ability to walk in an accident. After several months' training, Zhou won his first national title in 2013 and romance blossomed between the pair.

Dong endured some setbacks in her career around that time, and was grateful to have Zhou around for support. "My husband is my strongest support," said Dong.

After finishing her competition on Thursday, Dong whispered to Zhou that he should aim to break the F55 javelin world record, and he duly obliged. "I promised her I would set more records in the future," Zhou said.

Dong was overcome with emotion and burst into tears just prior to her medal ceremony on Friday.

"I had two major events in 2021: the Tokyo Paralympics and the National Games on home soil. I am very happy because my results have been satisfying. I want to thank my coach, family and everyone who supported me," Dong said.

"I hope that the F55 discus will become an official event in the Paris Paralympics, and then I will be able to participate in the Games," Zhou said.

Besides decorating their home's trophy room with their vast medal collection, the couple have a more important mission－inspiring others to go for gold too.

"I hope that young people can realize their self-worth through sports, so that they can live with more confidence," Zhou said.