SUPREME ATHLETE CHASES HIS DREAM

Torsongan Bullik, a 28-year-old cross-country skier, may harbor regrets over not winning a medal during his first National Winter Games in Hulunbuir, North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

But on balance, there is more to celebrate in his life as a multidiscipline athlete than to feel sorry about. From amateur cyclist to professional skier, Torsongan from the Kazak ethnic group says sport has changed his life in many ways.

Spending his childhood as a shepherd in the pastoral areas of Wenquan county, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Torsongan's athletic talent was, nonetheless, apparent from a young age.

When he was a freshman in junior high school in 2009, he excelled at long-distance running. As an amateur in 2016, he finished third in the Xinjiang Wusu International Marathon. And then a passion for cycling revealed itself as his hometown hosted the Tour of Sayram Lake, a national road race for amateur cyclists.

"The dashing cyclists, their flashy costumes and helmets fascinated me," he recalls. "I felt that cycling was really cool."

In 2012, Torsongan's father gave him a mountain bike that cost 5,000 yuan ($695), which was a lot of money for his family.

He loved the bicycle so much that he used it at every opportunity. Two years later, he entered his first competition, although there was no fairy-tale ending as he lost his balance on a steep slope.

But he was determined and kept testing his limits. This paid off as he has won medals at all levels of the sport in China.

On Oct 18, 2018, Torsongan was the first to cross the finish line during a high-altitude bike race in the Xizang autonomous region.

But surprisingly, it was the national cross-country skiing team that he impressed with his stamina. They were scouting athletes in search of new talent for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Accepting the invitation from the team marked a turning point for Torsongan's career, but challenges remained.

"After training with the team during the day, I had to go to the gym to level up my upper-body strength in the evening," Torsongan said in an earlier interview.

"To keep up with the pace of the skiing team, I had to put in a lot of extra training."

He didn't make the final list, but worked as a technician assisting in the operations of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Regardless of the outcome of the 14th National Winter Games, Torsongan enjoyed the challenge of competing, and has his eyes set on the next race.

"I will continue with my efforts. As long as I don't give up, I still have a chance to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics," he says.