China wins opener in wheelchair curling mixed doubles' Paralympic debut

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, March 4 (Xinhua) -- China's Wang Meng and Yang Jinqiao beat Japan's Aki Ogawa and Yoji Nakajima 10-3 in the opening round-robin session on Wednesday as the wheelchair curling mixed doubles began at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.

Making its Paralympic debut, the wheelchair curling mixed doubles is the first event to begin at the Games, starting two days before the opening ceremony.

The Chinese pair scored four points in the third end and gradually extended their lead to secure a comfortable win over the reigning world champions.

"I adjusted myself quickly after making some mistakes in the first two ends. I told myself to stay calm and compete with stability," 24-year-old Yang said. "I am always confident."

Wang, 37, added, "We communicated with each other well during the match, and we will strive to keep improving our performance."

Also on Wednesday, host Italy beat South Korea 7-5, Estonia defeated Britain 10-7 and the United States prevailed Latvia 11-6.

The mixed doubles event features eight teams and runs through March 11. 

The wheelchair curling mixed team will be held March 7-14.  ■