Yu Xiaowei (center) wins the men's 200m canoe sprint event at the 2016 ICF Paracanoe World Championships in Duisburg, Germany. [Photo/WeChat account: qttv0578]

Yu Xiaowei, from Qingtian county – in Lishui city, in East China's Zhejiang province – will take part in the canoe sprint event in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games which are to be held between Aug 24 and Sept 5, local media reported recently.

It is Yu's second go at the Paralympic Games and compared with his debut in Rio in 2016, he said he was more nervous this time around.

At the 2016 Rio Paralympics Games Yu failed to win a place on the winner's podium and he now dreams about a medal in Tokyo.

Yu, 32, suffering from polio as a child and lost all functions from the waist down, making him unable to walk independently. In 2015, however, he was selected to join the Zhejiang provincial canoeing team for those with physical impairments, which officially launched his career as an athlete.

After professional guidance and constant training, Yu has made excellent progress in his chosen sport.

In May 2016, representing the China national team, he won the men's 200m canoe sprint at the ICF (International Canoe Federation) Paracanoe World Championships in Duisburg, Germany, creating a milestone in China's paracanoeing history.

At the 2019 ICF Paracanoe World Championships in Szeged, Hungary, Yu clocked 48.65 seconds in the KL1 200m canoe sprint event, winning himself a qualifying slot for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.