Teenage stars show Tokyo intent
Gold rush in Argentina bodes well for Team China’s 2020 chances
Team China immediately set its sights on Tokyo 2020 after finishing second in the medal table at the Buenos Aires Youth Olympics, which ended on Thursday.
A 139-athlete delegation won 21 gold, 10 silver and nine bronze medals after 13 days of competition to be bettered by only Russia at the Games, which are open to athletes aged 15-19.
Many of China’s young guns looked as if they have what it takes to win among the senior ranks at the Tokyo Games in two years’ time.
Perhaps most impressive was China’s table tennis squad, which repeated its dominance from the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympics.
Sun Yingsha won the women’s singles and Wang Chuqin claimed the men’s title before the pair teamed up to win mixed doubles gold. Japan provided the opposition in all three finals, with female star Miu Hirano and men’s ace Tomokazu Harimoto having to settle for silver.
“I will try my best to make the team for Tokyo 2020, which is my dream,” said the 18-year-old Sun, who shot to fame by winning women’s team gold at this summer’s Asian Games in Indonesia.
Chinese diver Lin Shan left Buenos Aires as a triple gold medalist after topping the mixed team event with Colombia’s Daniel Restrepo Garcia and winning women’s 10m platform and 3m springboard titles too.
“I know I have some edge in the events, and I expected the golds, but I think I can still improve my skills. At the Tokyo Games, my rivals will be much stronger than in the Youth Games, so I must hone my skills,” she said.
In athletics, Chinese high jumper Chen Long set a new Games record to fend off Australian Oscar Miers for gold in an absorbing contest.
“I am very excited about the result and surprised by my rival who has done so well,” said 15-year-old Chen. “To beat a record at an Olympic Games is an incomparable sensation that I was not expecting to feel.”
Chen in part credited the enthusiasm of the spectators for his feat, saying: “The people here are much warmer. Feeling that they are applauding you before your jump makes an athlete very strong.”
China’s Xi Ricuo showed her decision to leave a life of farming behind for an athletic career was the right move by winning the women’s 5,000m race walk.
“I’m so excited to win the Youth Olympics gold,” said the former shepherd girl after her victory. “I never dreamt I could do this. I still can’t believe it.
“Track and field has changed my life. It is just like a dream.”
Gymnasts Yin Dehang and Tang Xijing, badminton player Li Shifeng, and swimmers Yang Junxuan and Sun Jiajun also did China proud by topping the podium.
“We did a very good job at the Youth Games. I’m so satisfied with the result,” said Gao Zhidan, Team Chian’s chef de mission. “They also exchanged experiences with the teenage athletes from around the world, made friends and got to know about the Olympic values, which are very important for their development.”