"When I dived in for the final leg, we were still behind, but no one knows the result until the very last moment—you just keep your head down and work hard." On December 11, 2025, Jiang Yuyan staged a dramatic comeback to claim the gold medal by 0.03 seconds, breaking the national record for the mixed 4×100m freestyle relay (34 points).

At this year’s National Para Games, Jiang Yuyan, a renowned athlete from Zhejiang, won nine gold medals, earning her the title of “ gold medal queen”. In addition to five individual events in the S6 class, she joined her teammates on the top podium in four mixed relay events, making her the most decorated swimmer of the Games.

In the pool, she dominates with fearless determination; out of the water, the fighting story of this young woman from Shaoxing continues to inspire.

At the age of three, a car accident cost Jiang Yuyan her right arm and right leg. When she was eight, her parents took her to  swimming lessons, initially just to correct the scoliosis caused by the accident. The loss of her right limbs was a major disadvantage in swimming: she struggled to find balance in the water and needed 11 more strokes than able-bodied swimmers to finish a 50m freestyle.

Swimming with one arm, kicking with one leg, and pushing off the wall for turns... With the encouragement of her family and coach, she gradually got used to the water and fell in love with the sport. "I feel like a fish in the water. A fish has one tail, and I have one leg. I can move forward and backward, rise and fall smoothly, and enjoy freedom in the water."

In 2017, Jiang Yuyan joined the Zhejiang Para Swimming Team and soon began to make a name for herself on the international stage.

At the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta, she won three gold medals and one silver medal.

At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games (held in 2021), 16-year-old Jiang claimed two golds, one silver and one bronze, though she missed out on a medal by a narrow margin of 0.15 seconds to finish fourth in the women's 50m freestyle S6 final.

Thousands of daily arm strokes led to her shoulder strain, and back inflammation also plagued her. During her preparations for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, her condition worsened to the point of being unable to train，and conventional treatment could only alleviate the pain. In the pool, she persevered and executed her techniques flawlessly, winning seven gold medals in  swimming at the Paris Paralympic Games—along with two world records and three Paralympic records.

Jiang Yuyan served as the flag bearer of the Chinese delegation at the closing ceremony of the Paris Paralympic Games, and the moment she held up the national flag remains etched in her memory: "When I was on the podium, I looked up at the national flag, but as a flag bearer, the flagpole was in my hands. At that moment, I truly felt that I was representing China."

Recently, the Zhejiang International Communication Center (ZICC), together with the College of Media and International Culture of Zhejiang University, the Zhejiang Provincial Disabled Persons’ Federation and the Zhejiang Women's Federation, co-produced the bilingual documentary Against the Tide. The film crew spent several years capturing Jiang Yuyan's extraordinary growth story.

"My physical condition may impose certain limitations, but I am completely free when I do sports. That’s when I am most relaxed and can be my true self. Swimming has made me braver and more confident," said Jiang Yuyan.