Baby on a snowboard is grabbing eyeballs in China

An 11-month old Chinese girl has created waves due to skateborading skills. Wang Yuji, who hasn't even turned 1-year-old can't even walk properly is seen skateboarding in videos that are being shared online.

The smallest of all the riders at a resort near Beijing, which is set to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in just a few months, Yuji is clipped into tiny boots by her parents and padded out with layers of protective clothing.

Once her parents let go, she swoops smoothly down the piste on her small board, giggling and flapping her arms.
Unlike many clumsy beginners who struggle to stay upright, her bemused parents say snowboarding somehow came naturally to their baby.

"We put her in the shoes and realized she could bring herself to stand... then we brought her to a gentle slope and watched her slide down, squatting on the board by herself," Yuji's mother Fan Xueyin tells AFP.

Yuji's first attempt at snowboarding was only two weeks ago during a family holiday.
Each morning since then she has joined winter sports fans at the Thaiwoo Ski Resort in Chongli, Zhangjiakou -- one of the hosting cities for the Winter Olympics.

"If she had been afraid or resisted, of course we wouldn't have made her do the sport," Fan adds. 
But once on the board, "she would pat her legs and start giggling, so we could tell that she's not afraid at all and is enjoying herself".

As Yuji is still too small to control her direction or speed, a nearby parent is always ready to snatch her if she veers towards an obstacle.

"You're doing great!" they call at her, jogging alongside their child.

(With inputs from agencies)