Xia Boyu, 69, points to his photo in which he climbs on the summit of Mount Qomolangma. (Photo/China News Service)
(ECNS) - Double amputee Xia Boyu has made headlines at home and abroad for reaching the summit of Mount Qomolangma on his fifth attempt to climb the peak.
"The process itself is very ordinary and simply the realization of a dream,” Xia said.
The 69-year-old Chinese climber had both lower legs amputated after suffering frostbite while trying to climb the peak, the world’s highest, in 1975.
However, he said he felt nothing special for having reached the top of the mountain as he knew he could make it, even though it took him 43 years to realize the dream.
Xia became the first double amputee to scale the peak from the Nepal side.
Xia and his team began climbing the peak at around 10 p.m. on May 13, summiting early the next morning. Strong wind on the peak prevented him from capturing a solo photo.
Upon returning to Kathmandu on May 16, Xia and his team received medical checks and treatment for frostbite. Xia said he was lucky this time and the weather didn’t pose a challenge.
With the mission complete, Xia said he wished to return to China as soon as possible and take a well-earned break.
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