Peach: Call Me Little Peach Stick! Not Just Skiing Stick!

Xu Mengtao, the leading lady of the Chinese Ski Team, is a typical post-90s, a typical Northeastern girl, and a typical Cancer. She has an optimistic attitude towards life and career, is very cheerful, full of sunshine, and brings positive energy to those around her.

Open her Weibo, and you'll find that cute selfies occupy a significant portion. Although the training is tough, it doesn't stop her from being adorable in her daily life.

Although she seems carefree, injuries once nearly forced her to retire...

At the 13th National Winter Games, during the women's aerials freestyle skiing competition, Xu Mengtao fell and injured herself. She was diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee. Doctors performed an ACL reconstruction surgery and removed 60% of her lateral meniscus. "Nine months of rehabilitation was not easy; only God knows what I went through," Xu Mengtao described this challenging recovery process.

Even on the operating table, she faced everything with a smile and joked, "The doctor did a beautiful job stitching this time!"

At the 2017 World Championships, Xu Mengtao won a medal with a backflip double twist 1080, marking her fifth consecutive World Championships with a medal. This was her first comeback after meniscus surgery, following nearly 10 months of rehabilitation. Achieving such results was no easy feat.

"The World Championships in Spain this time was the most significant event before the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. In Spain, I took painkillers for every training session and every round of competition," Xu Mengtao said. "During the competition days, the temperature in Spain warmed up, causing the track to melt. I stood on the same starting line as competitors from all over the world, taking painkillers, and ultimately winning a bronze medal was quite satisfying."

Xu Mengtao started practicing gymnastics at the age of four. In 1998, she joined the Liaoning Provincial Gymnastics Team. At twelve, she made a name for herself by winning 3 golds, 2 silvers, and 1 bronze at the Provincial Games. In August of the same year, she began training in freestyle skiing under coach Chen Hongbin, alongside now-world-renowned athletes Li Nina and Xu Nannan.

World Junior Champion, World Champion, World Cup Overall Champion... the only title missing is an Olympic gold medal. We look forward to seeing China's Xu Mengtao shine at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics next year and achieve the "Grand Slam"~

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