China primed to shine at Paris Olympics

Striving for perfection

Leading China's charge are the country's dominant table tennis squad and its diving "dream team", which are both aiming for gold medal clean sweeps in their respective programs.

As the sport's undisputed powerhouse, the table tennis squad is looking to achieve perfection in Paris when it comes to gold medals won.

China has won 32 of a possible 37 gold medals since table tennis debuted at the 1988 Seoul Summer Games.

Three years ago, at the postponed Tokyo Olympic Games, China won four of the five table tennis gold medals on offer. The hosts Japan unexpectedly defeated China in the mixed doubles, which has helped motivate the Chinese players to strive for complete triumph this time around.

Liu Guoliang, president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, has warned the squad against complacency.

"We cannot take for granted that these five gold medals belong to China," said Liu, a two-time Olympic champion at the 1996 Games.

"All five gold medals in Paris are reserved for the brave and the wise, for those who excel the most. We just need to fight for them as hard as we can in every event."

Led by the world's top divers across multiple events, the Chinese diving team is also on a mission to extend its Olympic supremacy in Paris by achieving something never done before — a clean sweep of all eight titles at a single Games — after having bagged seven golds at the last Tokyo Olympics and the Rio 2016 Games.

As challenging as it sounds, the squad believes the target can be achieved in Paris, with a 10-strong roster that includes the reigning world champions in all eight Olympic diving events.

"We've always been very confident in our strength. We are expecting to perform to the best of our ability in Paris and are trying to deliver the best possible results," said Zhou Jihong, a former Olympic champion diver and director of the National Aquatic Sports Administrative Center.

Since arriving in Paris on July 21, the team has had training sessions every day at the Olympic Aquatics Centre in Saint-Denis to fine-tune the divers' routines. The diving competition starts on Saturday, when the first gold medal will be awarded in the women's synchronized 3m springboard.

"Actually, I felt quite calm, more relaxed than I'd expected, after getting to the Olympic venue. Mentally, I feel at ease and ready to go," said Chen Yiwen, who will attempt to win China's first gold at the Games with partner Chang Yani in Saturday's synchro final.

However, they could be pipped in winning China's first gold by the shooting team. The 10m air rifle mixed team final is due to be held around the same time as the diving session on Saturday.

Two world champion pairs — Sheng Lihao and his partner Huang Yuting, and Han Jiayu and Du Linshu — have been sharpening their skills at the Olympic shooting range at Chateauroux, about 250 kilometers south to Paris, in preparation to going for gold.

Major breakthroughs

In two of the biggest Olympic sports, China's fast-improving swimmers are determined to prove that they can compete with the sport's traditional powerhouses — the United States and Australia — on all fronts, while the track and field team is expected to deliver more breakthroughs.

Led by "butterfly queen" Zhang Yufei and "breaststroke king" Qin Haiyang, China's 31-member swimming squad has been preparing for the Games in the coastal city of Deauville in northern France since July 6. The swim team is hoping to better its Tokyo performance when it harvested six medals, including three golds.

Zhang, the reigning 200m men's butterfly Olympic champion, and Qin, the 200m men's breaststroke world record holder, represent a new generation of Chinese swimmers that pose a legitimate threat to the world's best swimmers.

Four new world records set at Olympic trials in the US, Australia and Canada over the past two months, however, have underlined the tough challenge Chinese swimmers face to continue their winning ways when the swimming program gets underway on Saturday.

Sharing the spotlight with Zhang and Qin is teen sensation Pan Zhanle, who broke the 100m men's freestyle world record by clocking 46.80 seconds in the leadoff leg of the 4x100m men's freestyle relay at the Doha world championships in February.

Powered by Pan, Team China won both men's freestyle relays and the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay in Doha. Combined with victory in the women's 4x200m freestyle relay, it was the country's best result in swimming relays at the long-course world titles.

"It will be my first time participating in the Olympics," Pan said. "My main goal is to relax and not feel too much pressure. I'm not concerned about the results for now; I just want to give it my all."

Nine artistic swimmers will participate in the Paris Games, including twin sisters Wang Liuyi and Wang Qianyi, world champions in the duet event.

China's track and field team will be anchored by five-time Olympian Gong Lijiao, who wants a golden end to her career in Paris by defending her women's shot put title. However, she faces stiff challenges from Canadian Sarah Mitton, the best performer in the world this year, and two-time world champion Chase Jackson of the US.

"This is my fifth Olympic Games," said 35-year-old Gong.

"Although I am very familiar with the event, I'm still doing my best to prepare. I want to produce a good performance at my final Olympics and have no regrets. My goal is to always strive for the championship and to achieve my personal best."

Leading the way for the men is long jumper Wang Jianan, who won China's first men's world championship gold medal in 2022. The 27-year-old three-time Olympian wants to finally stand on the Olympic podium after falling short at the previous two Games.

Last year, Wang defended his Asian Games title in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, with a jump of 8.22m. This season, he secured second place with a jump of 8.04m at the Diamond League event in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, in April.

"I believe the most important thing is to prepare well, cooperate with my coach and team, and make any adjustments that are needed," he said. "I hope to perform well in Paris and to make up for the disappointment in Tokyo."

Surprises, diversification

Aiming to demonstrate the country's improving competitiveness across a wider range of sports, the COC has also pinned high hopes on events, such as tennis, fencing, Taekwondo, cycling (track and BMX), boxing and sports climbing, to produce more medals and develop emerging stars on the Olympic stage.

To improve competitiveness in sports dominated by Western nations, such as swimming, track and field, fencing and cycling, the Chinese delegation hired 42 foreign coaches, trainers and medical staff from 17 countries and regions to help prepare for the Games.

Xinhua contributed to this story.

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn