China Daily Global Edition (USA)
GOLDEN GENERATION
Team China’s young guns steal the show in Tokyo as expectations rise of even greater success in 2024
Capping their Olympic debuts with podium finishes, a group of young stars have shone beyond their years at the Tokyo Games to leave Chinese sports looking to the future with confidence.
Two days before the Tokyo Olympics closes on the weekend, the Chinese delegation can already count its campaign a great success, not just for its massive medal haul, but more importantly for the quality and quantity of young talents who have looked so at ease on the biggest stage.
In the women’s 10-meter platform final on Thursday, Chinese diver Quan Hongchan, the youngest member of the delegation in Tokyo at 14, wowed the world by scoring perfect 10s in three rounds to win the diving squad’s sixth gold medal of the Games. Another Chinese teenage prodigy, Chen Yuxi, claimed the silver at Tokyo Aquatics Center.
They are among a number of Chinese Olympians born after 2000 that have contributed 10 gold medals to the total of 34 the team had amassed by Thursday, raising expectations for another bumper haul at the next Games in Paris in three years’ time.
The Chinese Olympic Committee said 293 of its athletes — accounting for nearly 68 percent of the team — made their Olympic debuts in Tokyo as part of the country’s efforts to hone a new generation of talents.
Many of the youngsters, boasting composure and athletic prowess beyond their age, have captivated global audiences with their breakthrough performances, with or without gold around their necks.
Led by women’s 200m butterfly champion Zhang Yufei, young swimmers Tang Muhan, Yang Junxuan and Li Bingjie, who were all born at the turn of the millennium, stunned a strong final field to win the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay in a world-record time of 7 minutes, 40.33 seconds.
China, Australia and the United States are the only nations to win the event at the Games since its Olympic debut in 1996.
“The unexpected win has set our hopes high for the future, as well as boosting our confidence,” said Li, a 19-year-old Hebei native, who also won her first individual Olympic medal after finishing third in the 400m freestyle.
Li’s potential was on display during her anchor leg in the relay as she held off a strong charge from five-time Olympic champion Katie Ledecky of the US with powerful strokes to secure the win for China.
Li, who now trails 400m free winner Ariarne Titmus of Australia and Ledecky as the world’s third fastest swimmer in the event, has age on
The unexpected win has set our hopes high for the future, as well as boosting our confidence. I still see room for improvement from my Tokyo swim, just as I do every time.”
her side to improve and spring more surprises at Paris 2024.
“I still see room for improvement from my Tokyo swim, just as I do every time,” said Li, who swam to international prominence at the 2017 world championships by winning 800m free silver and 400m free bronze. “Anything can happen should I keep pushing myself to the next level.”
The solid performances of young talents in some of China’s strength sports have convinced fans that the country’s dominance is safe and secure.
Following back-to-back golds by Yang Qian in the women’s 10m air rifle and mixed team event, the Chinese shooting squad witnessed the rise of two more prodigies — men’s 10m air rifle silver medalist Sheng Lihao and markswoman Jiang Ranxin, who teamed with veteran
Pang Wei to win gold in the 10m air pistol mixed team final.
Sure shot
At 16, Sheng was Team China’s youngest shooter, but matched his older rivals for grit and mental toughness with his consistent scoring in the nerve-wracking final.
Coach Yao Ye is sure Sheng has yet to reach his full potential.
“Despite the podium finish in Tokyo, he’s not fully developed yet and still has a long career ahead of him,” said Yao.
“He needs to keep practicing while studying at school to mature and gain a better understanding of shooting as a career path.”
In table tennis, 20-year-old Sun Yingsha’s ruthless 4-0 victory over Japan’s Mima Ito in last week’s women’s singles semifinals was a major highlight of China’s supremacy in the racket sport.
Overcoming a brief scare in the second game by winning eight points in a row, Sun provided further proof that the nation’s table tennis talent cultivation program remains in good health — accounting for 29 Olympic gold medals since the sport’s Games debut in 1988.
Such impressive performances in Tokyo have helped partly fill the void left by the retirements of a number of international sporting icons, such as ex-NBA All-Star Yao Ming, Olympic champion hurdler Liu Xiang and tennis Grand Slam winner Li Na.
Staying at the top, however, is now the sizable challenge that awaits the younger generation as rival nations attempt to respond to China’s resurgence.
“The Olympics is always the breeding ground for future stars, but our younger generation of athletes has yet to be fully tested internationally,” said Tan Jianxiang, a sports sociology researcher at South China Normal University.
“The real challenge comes right after their breakout debut performances at the Olympics.”
Li Bingjie, a member of China’s Olympic gold medal-winning 4x200m freestyle relay team