Struggle

Wu, who grew up in Fuxin in Northeast China's Liaoning province, had shown athletic promise from an early age. She ran fast, skated well and drew attention from multiple sports programs, with coaches from different disciplines trying to recruit her.

But when her father asked what she wanted to pursue, the girl's answer was immediate: basketball.

"At the time, I didn't have big ambitions like making the national team," she said. "I just loved playing."

That love supported her as she left home at a young age to pursue basketball, and it also became her anchor through the darkest period of her career.

To shorten the recovery timeline, Wu made a bold medical decision during her second surgery, opting for an artificial ligament implant.

Doctors warned that it would carry greater risk and long-term uncertainty than traditional reconstruction using the body's own tissue.

"If I didn't do it, I would face another long recovery period," she said. "Basketball has given me so much. I was willing to give something back."

The road back, however, was grueling.

In training, she sometimes struggled with basic movements, even simple jumps onto a 10-centimeter platform that children could complete easily.

Repetition bred doubt, and there were moments when she questioned whether she would ever return to the elite stage.

Driven more by inner resolve than external examples, Wu leaned into solitude during rehabilitation, spending 438 days away from competition while rebuilding herself physically and mentally, step by step.

"I always place responsibility on myself," she said.

"As long as I am still here, and mentally strong, I can face anything."