'Girls can compete': China's Yu makes history with ice hockey debut

BEIJING : Mixed team events are hardly an oddity at the Paralympics but China's Yu Jing on Tuesday pulled off a feat managed by only two women before her as she took to the ice for her country in para hockey at the Beijing Winter Games.

China demolished Italy 6-0 but much of the focus fell on Yu, who played five minutes in the second period and joined Norwegians Brit Mjaasund Oeyen and Lena Schroeder as the only women to have competed in ice hockey at the Paralympics.

"Maybe more and more girls will join Para ice hockey now. I want to show that girls can compete. It is not impossible, it's possible," the 38-year-old told reporters.

"Before I joined this team, I thought para ice hockey was fierce, very difficult and that it would be hard for a woman to play. I felt a little bit afraid.

"But when I joined the team I found the guys were very nice and they taught me a lot."

Yu, a former wheelchair basketball player, switched to ice hockey more than two years ago and took an instant liking to the sport before debuting for the national team at the world championships last year.

"I think she performed her best. The Italian players didn't give her special treatment as well," said captain Cui Yutao. "I sincerely feel happy for her."

Debutants China have been in sparkling form in Beijing, winning all their three group games to breeze into the quarter-finals, where they will face the Czech Republic at the National Indoor Stadium on Wednesday.

"There will be no easy games. Each game is critical because they can decide how far we will go in the tournament. We will cherish every moment on the ice in the next few days and do our best," Cui said.

(Reporting by Dhruv Munjal in Beijing)