It was Fan Xinwei’s first time visiting Italy. Although the city of Turin offered sites, history, and iconic Italian cuisine, the only thing on this floorball player’s mind was victory. And over the course of competition at Inalpi Arena, that’s exactly what Special Olympics China accomplished.
The team went undefeated in their first five games in just three days, Fan netting and astounding twelve goals in this timeframe.
Photo by Alberto Gandolfo
Even with this success, a challenge presented itself: the high standard of play in such a concentrated window can take its toll on athletes, and Special Olympics China was feeling the pressure.
However, when it came to their semi-final bout against the imposing Special Olympics Switzerland team, Fan confirmed their resilience. “Despite feeling physically and mentally drained after these three days of intense competition, the moment we tasted victory, all our fatigue vanished in an instant.”
In a thrilling win, Special Olympics China was able to score three times against the defensive-minded Swiss unit. It was a close match, but Fan and his teammates held strong, only allowing their opponents a single goal. This earned Special Olympics China a ticket to the finals on the last day of competition.
What followed on March 15 was an outstanding back and forth rally against the impressive players from Special Olympics Costa Rica, who ended up winning the gold medal with a tie-breaking score in the closing seconds. Fan and Special Olympics China were stunned but took tremendous pride in their level of play and the silver medal they won for their home country.
In a show of sportsmanship, they celebrated Costa Rica’s victory, and Fan provided poignant words for what went down as an iconic floorball series, “I want to convey to all the athletes participating here that as long as you give your utmost and strive for excellence, regardless of the outcome, you are all the best!”
Photo by Alberto Gandolfo
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