Qu Zimo Wins Three Gold Medals in Wheelchair Badminton at Asian Para Games

At the close of the 5th Asian Para Games on Oct. 24, the Chinese sports delegation secured 207 gold medals, 117 silver medals, and 111 bronze medals for a total of 435 medals, topping both the gold and overall medal tables while setting a record for the best performance at an Asian Para Games held outside mainland China, news.cnhubei.com reported.

Wheelchair Badminton Sweep at the Asian Para Games

Among China’s 207 gold medals, the badminton team contributed 12 titles. Born in 2001, wheelchair badminton player Qu Zimo competed across three different events during the competition and captured three gold medals alongside his teammates, news.cnhubei.com reported. The closing stretch of the wheelchair badminton tournament took place on Oct. 23.

Inside the venue, the court echoed with the sharp, quick friction of wheelchairs stopping suddenly. Qu Zimo leaned forward, gripped his racket, and struck the shuttlecock, executing rapid hand movements despite physical illness, news.cnhubei.com reported. Operating his wheelchair through abrupt brakes, fixed-point turns, and positional shifts, Qu controlled the chair as an extension of his own body to track incoming shots. Records from the delegation show that just one day before taking the court, he was running a fever.

“It was just a small cold and it did not get worse, but once you truly throw yourself into the match, there simply is not enough time to think about those things,” Qu Zimo said, according to news.cnhubei.com.

Overcoming Physical Limits on the Court

Facing a dense match schedule, physical discomfort, and aggressive challenges from opponents, Qu managed to maintain his performance across three separate disciplines, news.cnhubei.com reported. Because wheelchair badminton players cannot rely on core or lower-body rotation to shift their balance and power, every position change and angle adjustment depends entirely on hand-driven movement. Players must anticipate the flight path of the shuttlecock while controlling the momentum of the chair, meaning a minor miscalculation causes a missed shot.

“The coordination between you and the wheelchair is very important, because unlike legs that can step and reach at the same time, we must use our hands to drive the wheelchair before we can receive the ball,” Qu Zimo said, as reported by news.cnhubei.com.

Rising Through the Ranks From Novice to Champion

Born in 2001, Qu began playing wheelchair badminton following a physical disability sustained during his childhood, news.cnhubei.com reported. Recalling Qu’s early days in the professional team as a teenager, coach You Jianbo noted that Qu would listen attentively while coaches explained techniques to other athletes, studying and imitating the movements.

“First, he had the desire to learn, and second, he was able to imitate others, which showed his understanding of badminton. His mind works well, and he is quite quick and adaptable,” You Jianbo said, according to news.cnhubei.com.

Through daily training, Qu developed into a core player for China’s wheelchair badminton program, news.cnhubei.com reported. His competitive record includes the men’s doubles title at the 2019 World Para Badminton Championships, gold medals in both men’s singles and men’s doubles at the Tokyo and Paris Paralympic Games, and three gold titles in men’s singles, men’s doubles, and mixed doubles at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games. He replicated the three-gold sweep at the 5th Asian Para Games.

“I feel that sports and badminton can change a person’s life,” Qu Zimo said, according to news.cnhubei.com. “Through these disability sports and competitions, we can transmit a very good signal to the general public with disabilities. Everyone can see that, just like able-bodied people, we can walk onto the sports field and step out into the world. I hope to be a positive role model for everyone.”

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