No Chinese riders competed in the previous Paralympic Games. But on Monday, Peng Yulian and Hong Kong rider Yip Sui Hong made their historic debut.
The competition was held at the Shatin Equestrian Venue in Hong Kong. Peng Yulian, riding on the black stallion Furstendonner AF, stayed focused as they performed their walk and trot movements before the home crowd.
He is the only rider competing from the Chinese mainland. Peng finally came 9th out of 18 riders with 64.545 points, and was quite satisfied with the result.
Peng Yulian said, "I treated it as normal training, so that way, I didn't feel any pressure during the competition. It's really a great honor to represent China in the Paralympics. There are so many spectators. And the venue is so good. I like it very much."
22-year-old Peng suffered from poliomyelitis, which left his legs paralyzed at an early age. He became a member of the national Para-equestrian squad back in 2006.
(CCTV September 9,2008)
