Deng Yawen of China competes during the women’s park final of BMX freestyle cycling at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, on July 31, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)
* A new generation of Chinese athletes born after 2000 impressed the world with remarkable performances and lively spirit at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
* These young athletes achieved several historic top performances for the Chinese delegation, which collected 91 medals, including 40 gold, by the end of the Games on Sunday.
* They not only achieved sporting success, but also showed their potential to inspire the world with their confidence and charm.
PARIS, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) — “The waves behind us drive those ahead,” an old Chinese proverb perfectly summed up the spirit of the past 17 days as the Olympic Games returned to Paris after a century.
The Games were marked by historic firsts and inspiring performances by a new generation of Chinese athletes born after 2000. Like the swelling waves of a mighty river, they captured the world’s attention not only with their sporting achievements but also with the vibrant spirit they embody.
On the pitch they showed remarkable resilience and energy, and off the pitch they shone with confidence and charm in Paris.
WRITING HISTORY
Pan Zhanle of China celebrates after the men’s 100m freestyle final of swimming at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, July 31, 2024. (Xinhua/Du Yu)
Paris 2024 confirmed Pan Zhanle’s status as one of the biggest stars in the swimming world.
In the 100-meter freestyle, Pan broke his own world record to win gold in a time of 46.40 seconds. He also led China to victory in the men’s 4×100-meter medley relay final alongside Xu Jiayu, Qin Haiyang and Sun Jiajun.
This ended the USA’s streak of ten consecutive gold medals in the discipline, dating back to the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“This is magic for me,” Pan said after the relay victory, which coincided with his 20th birthday. “I fulfilled my promise from a year ago to celebrate my birthday with a team gold medal.”
Zheng Qinwen of China competes against Donna Vekic of Croatia during the women’s singles gold medal match at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, on August 3, 2024. (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)
Zheng Qinwen claimed the biggest win on a tennis court for China since Li Na with her victory in the women’s singles at Roland Garros. It was on the same court that Li won her first Grand Slam title 13 years ago at the French Open.
On her way to the top of the podium, 21-year-old Zheng eliminated former world number one Angelique Kerber of Germany and a rival she had never beaten before the Paris Games: current world number one Iga Swiatek of Poland.
“After the third round, I was in pain and playing with bandages. It was not easy to overcome these challenges. This is the first time I have fought five fights in a row for five days and I feel like I have pushed myself to the limit,” said Zheng.
Their breakthrough victory broke through the sport’s traditional Western elite and signaled that a new wave of talent from Asia is ready to challenge the world’s best.
Zheng addressed the young tennis fans in China who stayed up late to watch her matches and offered words of encouragement: “Be brave and dream big. To achieve dreams, you must set goals, but the road to achieving them will be full of hardships, doubts and sacrifices. Enjoy the process, because every failure is a step towards success. Where I am today, I can say that all the effort was worth it.”
Chen Yuxi/Quan Hongchan (r.) of China compete in the synchronized final of the women’s 10m platform diving at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in Saint-Denis near Paris, France, on July 31, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Ying)
In diving, a group of young divers, led by teenagers Chen Yuxi and Quan Hongchan, dominated and confidently took all eight gold medals.
Young Chinese female athletes also made a breakthrough in the emerging field of extreme sports. 18-year-old Deng Yawen won gold in the women’s BMX freestyle and impressed with her fearlessness and technical skills.
“BMX is a pretty niche sport in China. Winning this gold medal means that this sport is going from strength to strength in my country,” said Deng.
“Today’s competition is over and the honor of winning a gold medal will not follow me at every competition… I’m really just going to focus on my training and showing the world a better version of myself.”
MORE THAN MEDALS
Huang Yuting (left) and Sheng Lihao of China celebrate after winning the gold medal match of mixed 10m air rifle shooting against South Korea at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in Chateauroux, France, on July 27, 2024. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)
Even off the field, these young athletes have proven that they are remarkable.
Shooters Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihao, who won the first gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, showed remarkable calm and confidence when answering journalists’ questions.
With his quirky social media handle “Just by Eating,” Sheng became a viral sensation. Fans call him “Gan Fan Ge,” or “foodie brother,” and praise him for “winning gold just by eating.”
Another couple that went viral was Wang Xinyu and Zhang Zhizhen, who unexpectedly teamed up just an hour before the first round of mixed doubles tennis.
With little time to prepare, Wang even wore her hard court tennis shoes to play on the clay court. Despite the challenges, Wang and Zhang took silver in the mixed doubles on their fourth day as a team, the country’s best result at the event.
A relaxed attitude and a stable mindset were the key to their success. “We constantly tried new things and adapted during the game, gradually found our rhythm and style, and never complained about each other on the court,” Wang said.
Silver medalists Wang Xinyu and Zhang Zhizhen of China attend the victory ceremony of tennis mixed doubles at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, on Aug. 2, 2024. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)
Chinese skateboarder Zheng Haohao, the youngest athlete at the Paris Olympics, celebrated her 12th birthday on August 11, the final day of the Games. On the Olympic stage, she appeared very relaxed and unperturbed by the attention she received.
“I had a great time,” said Zheng, who finished 18th in the women’s park preliminary round and missed the final. “I’m very happy and proud to represent my country. I didn’t have much pressure. The Olympics are not much different from my normal training and other competitions, except that there are more spectators.”
The pleasant atmosphere during Zheng’s interview with the Chinese journalists also attracted reporters from Brazil and Canada who, although they do not understand Chinese, were nevertheless impressed by the young girl who radiated confidence, courage and enthusiasm at the Games.
When asked how she would share her experience in Paris with family and friends, she laughed: “I try to keep a low profile. I’ll just say I took some time to participate in the Olympics.”
Zheng Haohao of China competes during the women’s park preliminary round of skateboarding at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, on Aug. 6, 2024. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)
China’s dominance in table tennis was clearly evident in Paris, as was its sportsmanship.
In the women’s singles semifinals, world number one Sun Yingsha from China defeated Hina Hayata from Japan. After the match, 23-year-old Sun consoled Hayata and asked if she was OK after struggling with wrist and forearm injuries.
“I noticed that the mobility of her arm was not so good. We are opponents on the court, but actually we are friends. For us, health is much more important than victory or defeat,” said Sun, who won two gold and one silver medals at the Paris Olympics. “Nobody wants to see injuries. I hope she recovers soon.”
A video showing the friendship between Chinese divers Chen Yiwen and Chang Yani and their Australian competitor Madison Keeney went viral on social media. The three girls chatted, laughed and made faces together on the podium, touching many online viewers. “I feel like these girls are like my sisters and I’m really lucky to have such a positive competitive relationship with them,” Keeney said.
When these young athletes return home, they will take with them not only medals, but also the hopes, dreams and confidence of a generation ready to inspire people across China and elsewhere to pursue their dreams with the same courage and enthusiasm.
(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
