FROM SMALL VILLAGE TO THE GLOBAL STAGE

When discus thrower Abdugheni Turgun entered the National Stadium in Tokyo, he said the loudest cheers, in his mind, came from Bashyagho, a farming village over 5,500 kilometers away in the south of China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

There, neighbors gather around glowing phone screens to watch his competitions. Among them is Ayizagul Turdi, who sat with her husband and grandson, eyes fixed on the live stream of Saturday's men's discus event at the World Athletics Championships.

"We watched him grow up," she said. "To see him achieve such good results now makes us genuinely happy. He is the pride of our village."

At 28, Abdugheni made his world championships debut, becoming the first Chinese athlete to compete in the men's discus at the worlds since Wu Jian in 2011.Although he did not reach the final, his performance has excited China's athletics community.

"Competing in front of so many people, I was nervous and excited. I forgot some of my technique, and my mind went blank," he reflected. "But, with more experience, I will keep getting better."

Bashyagho lies at the foot of the Pamir Plateau. From an early age, Abdugheni showed athletic talent, eagerly trying every sport at the local games.

In 2011, Ubulihkasim Balat, a coach from Kashgar Sports School, spotted the 14-year-old playing table tennis with friends in his village. Tall, strong and athletic at 1.78 meters tall, Abdugheni immediately caught his attention, and the coach took him to Kashgar for professional training.

"He was a talent," Ubulihkasim recalled. "Everything about him pointed to an outstanding discus athlete."

Ubulihkasim was also reminded of his former student, discus thrower Nurmemet Tulak, who later became Abdugheni's mentor.

Discus training is grueling, demanding strength, coordination, flexibility and spatial awareness. Unlike contact sports, discus throwers are often so focused that they appear to show little emotion.

" (Abdugheni) later told me that he didn't want to show it, just quietly compete with himself," Nurmemet explained.

In 2022, Abdugheni lost his father, whose greatest wish was to see him succeed in sports for China. However, in the years that followed, his career hit a plateau, and he missed both the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games gold and a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

"Neither new techniques, nor old ones, worked. I was stuck for a long time," he said.

But, he refused to give up. For Abdugheni, discus was not just a sport, it was a mission.

"My coach and I have rarely been home in recent years. We do it to ensure we have no regrets and that we honor the country's support. I want to push my limits," he said.

Such dedication has started to pay off.

This year, Abdugheni broke the national record twice in just over two months, raising China's mark to 67.29 meters, and also won an Asian championship gold.

"We adjusted our training to channel strength into the throwing motion. I used to weigh 117 kilograms; now I'm 132," he said with a laugh. "In this sport, you need your body weight to throw the discus far."

His rise also mirrors a broader story of change in Xinjiang, where, by the end of 2020, absolute poverty, a challenge that had lingered for thousands of years, was declared eradicated, and people in Bashyagho say life grows better each year.

That progress can be seen clearly at the local elementary school, where children now sprint on a bright new track that once was only bare dirt beneath Abdugheni's feet.

"He is amazing! I want to be like him," said 7-year-old student Abdujilili Ablikim. "I'll throw my dreams far and win gold medals for our hometown!"

Even as he travels the world, Abdugheni stays connected to his roots, sharing snapshots of his village's changing landscape on social media and promoting local products, such as cherries.

"Our development has been supported by people across the country. Every time I represent China abroad, I feel proud," he said. "This is not something achieved by individual effort alone. I believe more children from Xinjiang will one day step onto the world stage."

Xinhua