It's onwards and upwards for Team China after breakthroughs abound at Tokyo 2020
Chinese veteran Su Bingtian made major breakthroughs in the 100-meter sprint in Tokyo, setting an Asian-record 9.83 seconds in his semifinal and becoming the first Chinese to reach an Olympic 100m final. A medal ultimately proved beyond the 32-year-old in the final on Aug 1, when he finished sixth, however he had already inspired young sprinters across Asia to follow in his speedy steps. [Photo/Agencies]
Reinforcing its strengths, smashing records and outstripping expectations, Team China delivered an Olympic campaign that perhaps even exceeded its own ambitions in Tokyo.
After the curtain came down on the Games on Sunday, the Chinese delegation boarded their flights home having served up two weeks of spine-tingling action that transcended the sporting landscape to cheer the entire nation.
Sailor Bi Kun won the men's windsurfer RS: X bronze on July 31－Team China's first ever medal in the event. The 25-year-old's performance was described as a "miracle" by his coach, Li Feng. Bi believes he's born to sail, and vowed to always try his best in the sport. [Photo/Agencies]
Leaving the Japanese capital with 38 gold, 32 silver and 18 bronze medals, Team China tied its London 2012 result as the best golden haul at an overseas Olympics. That proved worthy of a second-place finish in the overall medal table, just one gold behind the United States' leading tally of 39 golds.
China accounted for four of the 23 world records broken at the Games, spearheaded by the women's 4x200m freestyle relay swimming team (7 minutes and 40.33 seconds).
Men's weightlifter Shi Zhiyong improved his own world record by a kilogram to 364kg to win the 73kg class. Track cycling duo Zhong Tianshi and Bao Shanju clocked 31.804 seconds in their heat to set a world record in team sprint en route to retaining gold, before marksman Zhang Changhong fired a world-best score of 466 points to hit the golden target in the men's 50m rifle 3-position.
Wang Chunyu made history in Tokyo by becoming the first Chinese woman to run in an Olympic 800-meter final, on Aug 3. The ambitious 26-year-old still could not hide her disappointment at not grabbing a medal after finishing fifth with a personal best 1:57.00. Wang was nonetheless heartened by proving the potential of a new generation of Chinese middle-distance runners. [Photo/Agencies]
Perhaps more encouragingly, the country's efforts to expand its prowess beyond its traditional strengths, such as diving, table tennis and weightlifting, have yielded real progress. Team China claimed golds across 14 events－its most diverse title distribution at an overseas Olympics.
There were plenty of memorable moments off the podium too. Chinese athletes finished in the top eight places 158 times in Tokyo－another all-time high since the country's Olympic debut in 1984.
As something of a post-Games bonus, Chinese athletes have all returned home safe and clean, without a single COVID-19 case reported or any of their 226 drug tests returning a positive result.
China's women's 3x3 basketball team sprang a surprise by winning a bronze medal in Tokyo on July 28. With their male counterparts struggling on the international stage these days, the success was a real lift for hoops fans back home. Chinese player Wang Lili hailed the medal as "the best reward" for her team's years of hard work. REUTERS
"Despite uncertainties and struggles during Tokyo 2020's pandemic-enforced delay, Chinese athletes have delivered on their targets in Tokyo, improving on the delegation's performances at the last Games in 2016," read a statement released by the Chinese Olympic Committee on Sunday.
"More importantly, the confident and diverse images of Chinese athletes, with or without golds around their necks, have presented the young face of the country in a modern light."
Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, heaped praise on the performance of Chinese athletes in an interview with China Central Television.
"I think the Chinese people can be very proud of their athletes, of what they have achieved so far. I've witnessed some of the gold medals," said Bach, an Olympic champion in fencing at the 1976 Games.
Having qualified for the Olympics for the first time in Tokyo, China's women's rugby sevens squad entered the Games with modest expectations. The team, though, battled to an impressive seventh-place finish in a major boost to the sport's fledgling development in China. REUTERS
Cementing supremacy
Team China consolidated its supremacy in weightlifting, table tennis and diving, missing out on only one gold in each sport in Tokyo.
The country's shooting squad brought home a record 11 medals, including four golds, while the gymnastics team, which finished without any golds at the 2016 Rio Games, bounced back to grab three titles in Tokyo.
Despite the retirement of legend Lin Dan, Chinese badminton players reached finals in all five disciplines, where they prevailed in women's singles and mixed doubles.
Chinese rowers Liu Zhiyu and Zhang Liang pocketed a historic bronze medal in the men's double sculls on July 28. The third-place finish delivered China's first ever Olympic medal in men's rowing. Zhang said the pair had been aiming for gold in Tokyo, but claiming bronze was also a significant breakthrough. [Photo/Agencies]
Athletes in these six sports contributed 28 gold medals, about 74 percent of the total title haul, while strong Olympic debuts from a host of rising stars also bode well for the 2024 Paris Games.
"Hopefully, this Games will only be the beginning for many more successes ahead in my career," said 19-year-old diver Wang Zongyuan after winning the men's synchronized 3m springboard with Xie Siyi.
With skateboarding making its Olympic debut in Tokyo, teenager Zeng Wenhui finished sixth in the women's street final on July 26. The 16-year-old, who used to practice Chinese martial arts, was proud of her feat and insisted she would never walk away from the sport she loves. [Photo/Agencies]
'All the impossibles'
Much to the surprise of fans back home, Chinese athletes made huge strides in Western-dominated sports, such as track and field, swimming, and rowing.
Sprinter Su Bingtian dashed into history by clocking an Asian-record 9.83 seconds to become the first Chinese to reach an Olympic men's 100m final.
Two-time world champion Gong Lijiao claimed the country's first women's Olympic shot put title in her fourth Games, before Liu Shiying followed suit with a similar feat in the women's javelin.
Teenager Li Bingjie won a precious bronze medal in the women's 400m freestyle in the Tokyo pool on July 26. The 19-year-old not only set an Asian-record 4:01.08 in the final but also became the first ever Team China swimmer to win a medal in the discipline. [Photo/Agencies]
Zhu Yaming won the country's first Olympic silver medal in the men's triple jump, leaping to a personal best of 17.57m in the final.
"All the impossibles are meant to be broken, and here in Tokyo we did it," Su said after finishing sixth in the 100m final.
China competed in the Olympic team eventing competition for the first time at the Tokyo Games. Aside from star rider Alex Hua Tian, the team's other eventers－Bao Yingfeng and Sun Huadong－were making their Olympic debuts in the Japanese capital. However, they still managed to muster an excellent ninth-place finish. [Photo/Agencies]
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe hailed Chinese athletes' "upward trajectory" in Tokyo, adding: "You've seen the strength in endurance events. Chinese relay teams now are extremely competitive. You have seen the wide range of talent that has emerged and is emerging in the field as well. Su Bingtian is a really good example of the progress that is now being made in the short distances."
In rowing, the quartet of Chen Yunxia, Zhang Ling, Lyu Yang and Cui Xiaotong won the country's second ever gold in the women's quadruple sculls, while Zhang Liang and Liu Zhiyu collected bronze in the double sculls to bring home the country's first Olympic medal on the men's side.
