Intl cheerleading open won by students who can’t hear or speak

Ten students who cannot hear or speak from Wuhan, Hubei Province, defeated 31 other teams composed of children with no disabilities and took the crown at the international cheerleading open held in Verona, Italy, Chutian Metro Daily reported Tuesday.

In the competition, the team amazed people by altering motions thousands of times within 150 seconds.

The team is made up of eight girls and two boys from a middle school in Wuhan, with the youngest 17 and the oldest 19.

Their everyday routine involved doing situps 120 times, running 30 circles around the basketball court and practicing cheerleading routines nearly 100 times.

Liu Xin, the headmaster of the school, said that it is the first time that students who cannot hear or speak have won this competition, which was not specifically for the disabled.

“The world of these children is not as colorful as others, and dance cheerleading is their dream,” said Li Zhen, the team’s coach.

Zheng Yumeng contributed to this story.