Hangzhou, 9 Sep (ZXS) -- With the opening of the 21th Asian Games imminent, the Chinese sports delegation, which has 36 Olympic champions, is starry, and the performance of a number of powerful athletes in Hangzhou has already aroused people's infinite expectations.
From the veterans who have been competing in the arena for many years to the backbone who has shown considerable dominance in various international competitions recently, Hangzhou will become an important stage for them to adjust and confirm their own status; Many up-and-coming newcomers will usher in their first Asian Games trip, and Hangzhou will become a place for their dreams to fly.
In the introduction of the participants recently released on the official website of the Hangzhou Asian Games, the long resume of Chinese table tennis star Ma Long has aroused heated discussions among netizens, who jokingly said that "just looking at the resume makes me feel a sense of oppression". Ma Long's Asian Games record dates back to 2006, when 18-year-old Ma Long won a men's team gold medal in table tennis with his teammates at the Doha Asian Games. After that, at the Guangzhou and Incheon Asian Games, he also left "golden memories". At the Asian Games in Jakarta five years ago, Ma Long did not make the Chinese squad. Now that the journey to the fourth Asian Games is about to begin, the ageless "Dragons" will participate in the men's team competition.
Women's shot put star Gong Lijiao, who recently won a bronze medal at the World Championships, will also embark on her fourth Asian Games journey. At the Guangzhou Asian Games, Gong Lijiao, who participated for the first time, won a silver medal and then achieved two consecutive championships in Incheon and Jakarta. The Hangzhou Asian Games will be an important stop for Gong Lijiao's preparations for the Paris Olympics, with the 34-year-old admitting that his sports career has "only a limited number of years" left, but the goal of challenging the 21m "will never change".
He Chao, a 31-year-old member of the Chinese diving team who dominated the men's springboard stage with standard moves with great power and beauty, won his first Asian Games gold medal in 2014. In this Asian Games, He Chao, who announced his retirement in 2017, chose to make a comeback and was selected again, and standing on the Asian Games springboard again is another recognition of the veteran's ability.
The Chinese women's football team moved from Suzhou to Hangzhou on September 9 to prepare for the Asian Games opening match on the evening of the 19nd, with 22-year-old Gu Yasha and 32-year-old Wang Shanshan in the squad, who will lead the team to once again attack the Asian champions.
In the list of the Chinese delegation, there are also many veteran names. On the Chinese swimming team, Ye Shiwen, 27, made her Asian Games debut in 2010. World Championship runner-up Lu Huihui, 34, remains on the women's javelin throw, while 30-year-old Xie Zhenye will pick up the men's sprint in Su Bingtian's absence. These experienced athletes will not only demonstrate their strength in their respective sports, but their experience and professional attitude will also influence the young athletes around them.
As the Asian Games are less than a year away from the opening of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, many new Olympic champions and world champions also regard this competition as a rare opportunity to "take the exam" and become an important part of preparing for the Olympics.
The main team of the Chinese swimming team, which has gained a lot at the Fukuoka Swimming World Championships, has made its best efforts. Tokyo Olympic "double champion" Zhang Yufei won 2 golds, 1 silver and 2 bronze at the World Championships, talking about the Asian Games, she is in full swing and aims at the world record in the women's 100m butterfly, "I have always been eager to break the world record in the 100m butterfly, and I am looking forward to achieving it at the Hangzhou Asian Games." In addition to Zhang Yufei, Qin Haiyang, Wang Shun, Xu Jiayu, Li Bingjie and other famous swimmers will all participate in the Hangzhou Asian Games and challenge for gold medals and even world records.
The Chinese weightlifting team is going through a "labor pain" brought about by the level adjustment of the Paris Olympics, but even so, Chinese Lux still gained a lot at the World Weightlifting Championships in early September. Tokyo Olympic champion Chen Lijun won three gold medals, the first time Chen Lijun has won three gold medals at the World Championships since competing in multiple World Championships. When he came to Hangzhou, his goal was naturally to win the gold medal at the Asian Games and "strive towards his goal of champion Grand Slam".
In the list of Chinese sports delegations, 630 newcomers participated in the Asian Games for the first time, accounting for more than <>%, and they were full of expectations and expectations for their first Asian Games experience.
Although Chen Yuxi and Quan Hongchan have won multiple diving world championships, the two are still newcomers to the Asian Games. The strength of the two people who have experienced many competitions is obvious to all, and it is imperative that the two-person event win the gold, and the single-person event can form a "double insurance". In Hangzhou, their "water spray disappearance technique" is bound to set off a new boom.
In the Asian Games lineup of the Chinese shooting team, which is dominated by "post-00s" players, many young players under the age of 20 are already the main force in the gold and silver competition in various events. In the 10-meter air rifle event, Sheng Lihao and Huang Yuting, who have been in the forefront of the world since entering the Paris cycle, will lead the men's and women's 10-meter air rifle competitions. Sheng Lihao, 19, won the silver medal in this event at the Tokyo Olympics. The 17-year-old Huang Yuting has won two World Championship gold medals and three World Cup gold medals. In the 3-meter air pistol event, Jiang Ranxin has won the Olympic Games and the World Championships. In Hangzhou, they may usher in a new blooming moment.
The 20-year-old is emerging as a rising star in professional tennis, having recently reached the quarterfinals at the 2023 US Open, setting her all-time best result in a Grand Slam tournament. The Hangzhou Asian Games was her first domestic competition since becoming a professional player.
Breakdancing is a new addition to next year's Paris Olympics, which serve as a preview before the Olympic Games. Among the four members of the Chinese team, Liu Qingyi and Qi Xiangyu are both 4-year-old young people. Liu Qingyi won gold at last year's World Games, becoming China's first world breakdancing champion and has already strongly qualified for the Paris Olympics. Qi Xiangyu will challenge the men's champion of the Asian Games, and according to the rules, the breakdancing champion of the Hangzhou Asian Games will directly qualify for the Paris Olympics. Winning the Asian Games is the goal that Qi Xiangyu has set for himself. (End)