Competing For Glory

Team China fares well in the athletics world championships By Bai Shi

China finished fifth on the medal table at the 2017 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships London from August 4 to 13 with seven medals—two gold, three silver and two bronze. Over 3,000 athletes from across the world competed in the 10-day championships, including 48 Chinese athletes who took part in 19 events. During this round of the biennial IAAF event, Team China maintained its good performance from the World Championships 2015 and the Rio Olympics 2016.

On August 10, veteran athlete Gong Lijiao won her first individual gold medal in the women’s shot put, which was also China’s first gold medal at the championships in London. Gong had waited a very long time to win the gold, this being her sixth appearance at the World Championships in Athletics.

The other gold medal was won by Yang Jiayu in the women’s 20-km race walk on August 13. Yang amazed her competitors with a powerful sprint to cross the finishing line first. This was the 21-year-old’s debut at the World Championships.

Apart from the medalists, China’s athletes did their best to set new records in London. For example, Su Bingtian reached the men’s 100m final for the second time. He was the only Asian athlete to compete in the final with formidable opponents including Usain Bolt from Jamaica and Justin Gatlin of the United States.

In preparation for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, China is maintaining an outstanding training program and focusing on cultivating more young athletes. ( Photos by Xinhua)