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Xu Qing of China react on the podium after winning the men's 50m butterfly S6 gold medal of Rio 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sept 9, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] |
Yang led the final from start to finish, ending with 198.2 points, to beat South Korean rival Lee Ju Hee by just 2.6 points. Uzbekistan's Server Ibragimov claimed bronze with 172.1 points.
"This is my first Paralympic Games and my first medal," Yang said. "I'm very excited and I put a lot of effort into this. My family and the Paralympic association put in so much to me, so it is nice to reward them too."
The 37-year-old opened up a 2.5-point lead after two round and showed nerves of steel to stave off Lee's challenge in the final rounds.
He attributed his coolness and pressure to a combination of natural talent and training.
"There's no strategy, I just did daily training very well and it's just basic skill coming through," he said.
Xu Qing broke his own world record to win his third straight Paralympic 50m butterfly S6 gold medal.
The 23-year-old finished in 29.89 seconds to beat the record he set at the London 2012 Games by one hundredth of a second.
It was a clean sweep of the medals for China with Zheng Tao taking silver in 29.93 and Wang Lichao bronze in 30.95.
"I didn't expect that. It has been my record for four years, I didn't think I would go that fast again," said Xu, who has now won eight Paralympic gold medals.
"This is the best reply to my friends and family because for a long time they have been trying to convince me not to race, to retire, but this gold shows that I was right."
Xu, who lost both arms after a car crash when he was six, said he was unsure if he would compete at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
"It might be my last Games, it depends on the condition of my body. I might do another if I feel it. But probably not."
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