From not keeping up to head of the pack

"It was difficult for the concept to get through to him just by explaining it with words, so I would show him by asking him to tag along when I was running," Yang said.

But this very simple way of thinking may also be an advantage. "Guowei is a no-fuss athlete. He never makes excuses or complains," said Yang. "No matter how much I ask him to run, he'll just do it, even when I'm not watching."

Zhu Xiang, a PE teacher at Yuxi Special Education School in Yunnan, couldn't agree more. Before this year's Special Olympics, Lu Guowei and other track and field athletes went to Beijing to train for a month at the China Administration of Sports for Persons with Disabilities. As one of the team leaders, Zhu noted that the training time almost doubled during that month, but not one athlete complained.

"They are so innocent that they never overthink. They don't worry or fidget before the competition like normal people do. And even if they lose, they hardly dwell on it or feel regret," said Zhu. "They can fully enjoy the event."

Up until now, Lu Guowei has participated in six sports events — from prefecture level to provincial and national levels, and most recently, on the international stage in Germany. There, he pocketed the men's 4x400m relay gold medal and won silver in the 100m and 200m races. And in the 100m race, he lost out to the champion by a narrow margin of 0.17 seconds.

This is probably why special education schools like the ones Yang and Zhu work for have been dedicating themselves to students' athletic training. For example, apart from basketball and running, Yanshan Special Education School now also has a training program for roller-blading and will add in floor curling next semester.