OLYMPICS/ Team china
National triathlon making big strides
By Li Wei (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-09-19 09:46
Chinese triathlete Xing Lin harbors a simple Olympic dream - to qualify for the Beijing Games and cross the finish line.
Xing Lin of China waves to the crowd after completing her race at the ITU World Cup series in Beijing on Saturday. Xing finished 17th place in 2:18:31. |
A personal-best 17th place at the International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Cup series in Beijing on Saturday has buoyed her confidence she will achieve her goal after the 32-year-old veteran was unable to finish before the deadline at the Athens Games.
"I am not going to win a gold medal like Liu Xiang," said Xing, a three-time national champion.
"But I am aiming for another record - to finish the Olympic race for the first time in my life.
"That's also a big one, isn't it?"
Despite a strong second-place finish on the overall medal standings in Athens, behind the United States, China remains a rookie in the three-discipline sport that debuted at the Sydney Olympic Games seven years ago.
Xing, together with Wang Hongni, were the first two Chinese to compete at the Olympics.
Wang settled for 40th place in Athens while Xing failed to finish the race.
"We are rookie of rookies," said Xing.
"Basically, we don't have any advantage over overseas rivals in three sports - do you see any Chinese win an Olympic gold medal at outdoor swimming or road cycling?
"But I am motivated and also confident to show my strength at the Games. I am proud of the progress we have made over the past two or three years and the Olympics is the best chance to tell the world what Chinese triathlon is all about."
Under the Beijing Games qualification system, which started last year, the top 55 athletes on the men's and women's rankings will automatically qualify for the 2008 Olympics. Points are earned mainly at World Championships and the ITU World Cup series, which take place in 16 cities around the world every year.
After establishing its first professional triathlon team in 1999, China quickly improved.
The 25-year-old Wang beat a number of Japanese rivals to win the Asian Games for the first time in Doha last December while Xing also enjoyed a jump in her rankings this year to No 37 from outside 100.
Both compete regularly at top events and have competed in four World Cup series so far in 2007.
At the China Stop that concluded on Sunday, Xing finished 17th among 85 athletes with a time of 2:18:31, 18 minutes behind champion Vanessa Fernandes of Portugal.
"The gap is clear, but I am coming closer this year," said Xing.
"It is just a matter of time to catch up with elite athletes."
China set up its first triathlon team in the army in 1994 when it was only seen as a military sport.
Not until 2000 was the national team recruited mostly from swimming teams.
According to Chinese Triathlon Association (CTA) director Wang Jianguo, China has about 200 registered triathletes in CTA, a far cry from Europe where France boasts more than 20,000 competitors and Spain about 15,000.
Tough route
Top triatheles have rated the Beijing Games course one of the most difficult routes in the world.
Spaniard Javier Gomez, the current World No 1 who won Sunday's men's event, was overwhelmed after competing on the course last weekend.
"It is incredibly hard," he said. "It is one of the most professional routes I have ever seen."
The official triathlon route for the Beijing Games is now ready for 2008, according to Wang Jianguo.
Designed by the ITU in May 2005, the route runs through the Ming Tombs, the capital city's landmark tourist resort in the northern suburb of Changping District.
Already there have been three consecutive ITU World Cup series staged on the site.
This year a 5,000-seat grandstand was built as well as other constructions at the swimming-cycling transition area.
After Sunday's competition, top athletes paid tribute to the Olympic site.
"It is a beautiful but very exciting one," Fernandes said.
"I like the ups and downs here.
"The sport used to be held in very low places, very flat. But now the audience will get bored if the competition is not really exciting, but they don't really need to worry about that here in Beijing."
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