Full coverage: 2016 Rio Paralympic Games

China women's wheelchair basketball team have reached the Last Eight in Rio, and as the squad's most experienced competitor with eight years in the sport, Deng Mingzhu says that playing hoops has helped her a lot, both on and off court.

Deng Mingzhu (M)

The Rio Games are Deng Mingzhu's second Paralympics. After being stricken with polio as a child, she became bashful and introverted, but playing wheelchair basketball would help her cope her disability.

"I think I'm lucky to choose wheelchair basketball. The sport gives me a lot with confidence, which is the most important thing. I suffered from self-abasement when I was younger, but mingling with my teammates helps me build confidence," she said.

A sport like wheelchair basketball requires every member of the team to be on the same page. Since taking up the sport, Deng has made close friends on the squad, and found joy through competition.

"Before I took part in wheelchair basketball, I was diffident and had few friends, but since then I've made many friends through playing. Sometimes I feel tired of training and want to give up, but when I see my teammates' persistence, I keep going. I feel happy playing basketball," she said.

Hooping it up also brought together Deng and her boyfriend, who is a huge basketball fan, and they stayed in constant contact once she left for Rio.

"When we met, it was a Paralympic year. We've been together four years now, and we'll probably get married this year," she said.

Blossoming from a young girl struggling with polio, into a confident Paralympic basket