ATHENS, Sept. 25 (Xinhuanet) -- It is a great pleasure to see China's sustaining dominance in the athletics competitions of the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games as of Saturday morning.

    The Chinese athletes have so far claimed 17 gold medals and 43 medals in the track and field events since the competitions started one week ago, which kept the country on top of the medal standings so far.

    China has also exceeded the combined tally of the Czech Republic and Ukraine, the runner-up and third-placer, in terms of both gold medal and medal total.

    The country has already fulfilled its original goal of 11 athletics gold medals at the Athens games.

    With three day remaining for the sport, China is expecting more medals to come.

    What is behind China's astonishing success?

    "The answer is sufficient training and good mentality," said Mao A'bao, deputy manager of the Chinese team.

    To build-up for Athens, the Chinese have taken an intensive closed-door training camp since last December in Nanjing and Shanghai.

    Except a brief break during China's traditional Spring Festival, all the athletes and coaches had been engaged in hard efforts for some nine months.

    The coaches implemented a four-step training program including rehabilitation, consolidation, enhancement and adjustment and conducted regular tests.

    Meanwhile, famous able-bodied athletes and psychological experts were invited to give speeches so as to boost their confidence and morale.

    To the surprise of many, a younger generation of athletes came with miracles in their Paralympic games debut in Athens, bringing in more medals and joys.

    For example, sports college student Chen Yonggang exerted his full potential to win men's Class F58 discus throw event while his teammate Yan Feng overcame fluctuation caused by earlier error to win the men's Class F35 discus throw title.

    With an impaired vision, Mu Chunmiao however brought more pleasant surprises as she finished in women's Class T11 200 meters race and came out runner-up in the 100m event.

    Besides, the devotion and experience of the coaches also played an important role in improving the team's performance in Athens.

    Since China adopted the reform and opening-up policy, the external environment for athletes with disabilities has been greatly improved. A national training and development system for athletes with disabilities has already been in place, to help these athletes to excel. Enditem (by Yang Qingchuan)