Torchbearers Dinigeer Yilamujiang (L) and Zhao Jiawen at the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at the National Stadium on Feb. 4, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ga)

Cross-country skier Dinigeer Yilamujiang cherishes her experience of becoming a torchbearer at Beijing 2022 opening ceremony.

For China's female cross-country skier Dinigeer Yilamujiang, the moment she lit the cauldron in the Bird's Nest Stadium will remain a lifelong memory.

At the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games on Friday, the 20-year-old Dinigeer, together with Nordic combined athlete Zhao Jiawen, placed the torch in the middle of a giant snowflake-shaped cauldron which later ascended to the top of the stadium.

"That moment will encourage me every day for the rest of my life," Dinigeer told Xinhua on Sunday.

"I was so excited when I found out we were going to place the torch. It's a huge honor for me!"

On Saturday, Dinigeer competed in the women's skiathlon, the first gold medal event at Beijing 2022.

"It was my first Olympic race. Competing with those top-class athletes encouraged me. I learned a lot from that experience," said the cross-country skier.

The moment after Dinigeer finished her race, she hugged her father, who is also one of her coaches.

"At that very moment, there were no words between us, but I felt we said thousands of words through our eyes."

Inspired by her father, a famous cross-country skier from Altay Prefecture in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dinigeer took up cross-country skiing at a young age.

She joined the national team in 2017 before being sent to Norway for higher-level training.

"It's true that sometimes I felt homesick in Norway, but I could feel I improved so quickly there, which inspired me when I was on that long journey out of my country."

Discussing her next competition at Beijing 2022, Dinigeer said she will continue to learn from and challenge her opponents.

"I will do my best," she said.