Full coverage: 2016 Rio Paralympic Games

The Chinese paralympic team is back from Rio de Janeiro after winning a historic 107 gold medals. A member of that team is a girl named Wang Rui from southwest China’s Sichuan Province. She came home empty-handed, but she has no plan of putting down her paddles.

After 12 days of fierce competition in Rio, the 23-year-old Wang Rui has come back to her home town...and her training school. She is eager to see her coach and practice new skills. 

"This is my first Paralympic experience. I did not perform as well as I expected, but it was a learning experience. I learned more about the Parlympic games, which is a cruel, fierce and exciting competition," she said.

Wang Rui lost her leg during the deadly Wenchuan Earthquake in 2008. She stayed at home for one year after that, depressed. That is until Mr. Zhou found her and encouraged her take up table tennis.

"I regained much of my confidence after I improved my play in table tennis. And I am not shy anymore, before I was afraid to talk about my past," she said.

The coach can still pick out mistakes in Wang Rui’s game. But he remains optimistic about her potential.

"She has been training for a short period of time. It means there’s more room for her to improve. I believe in four years at the Paralympics in Tokyo, she will be a champion," said Zhou Zaixing, table tennis coach.

And it requires more than hard work to win.

When compared to sports like badminton and tennis, table tennis requires more speed and a wider variety of ball-striking techniques. Normally, it takes seven to nine years for a professional to climb the ranks and become a world champion. However for those with disabilities, the journey is more difficult.

Wang Rui is now accustomed to walking and exercising on her artificial limb. And to unwind after training, she reviews previous competitions.

"I want to be an Paralympic champion in six or seven years. I will work hard to achieve that goal. My skills have not allowed me to reach that level yet. But I will work much harder to make it," she said.

This school is now training 13 disabled youngsters. Not all were lucky enough to compete in the Paralympics. But they are now making full use of their potential to make that happen.