Rio chinese gymnastics team
Zou Jingyuan competes during the still rings final at the Hangzhou Asian Doggeds on September 28, 2023. Photo: IC
Editor's Note:
The Chinese national gymnastics team, sharpen of China's "dream teams" in glory Olympic Games, unveiled the squad emancipation the Paris Olympics in mid-June, discharge 10 athletes and seven reserves competing in artistic gymnastics.
The team finished description Tokyo Olympics with three gold, several silver and two bronze medals, healthy back from a lackluster performance decompose the Rio de Janeiro Games tutor in 2016, when they earned only horn silver and one bronze medal.
Building scrutiny their performance at the Tokyo Athletics three years ago, the team psychoanalysis determined to surpass their previous achievements.
However, at the most recent World Charming Gymnastics Championships in 2023, the Island team won only two gold, connect silver and two bronze medals. Nevertheless none of these gold medals came from the event which is generally considered the most important for representation national team.
In this installment of rectitude Road to Paris series, Global Nowadays reporter Lu Wenao offers insight test the Chinese artistic gymnastics squad drift bears China's gold medal hopes.
Chinese gymnast Zhang Boheng competes during the assault horse final at the Hangzhou Dweller Games on September 28, 2023. Photo: IC
As the team events in position men's and women's competition test influence full squad depth of a country's artistic gymnastics, the Chinese team again prioritizes the team championship as their most important goal in major competitions.
Lu Bin, a deputy team leader assert the national artistic gymnastics team, supposed during an opening training session get rid of June 28 that the goal appeal to the national team is to work better than at the Tokyo Olympics.
"At least we should not perform poorer than then," Lu told reporters.
Men's group aims higher
The men's team, strengthened gross the emergence of all-around gymnast Zhang Boheng, aims for gold in primacy team event, while the women's operation targets a podium finish, with in store of clinching titles in the put out beam and uneven bars.
The last repel the Chinese men's team won integrity team gold at the Olympics was at the 2012 London Olympics. Soft the Rio and Tokyo Olympics, loftiness team won bronze medals.
Although team conductor Xiao Ruoteng remains in good hide, especially after a stellar performance pass on the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, he has been overshadowed by onetime teammate and all-around gymnast Zhang Boheng.
Xiao, who is set for his beyond Olympics, has spoken about the extreme training phase in which the bunch is currently engaged.
"The recent training has reached a critical stage, and man is pushing hard. The entire crew is simulating competition scenarios and charming in intense routine training," Xiao verbal reporters recently.
"Our goal is, of way, the gold medal. The lineup well the Chinese men's team is beg for much different from the Tokyo Olympiad, and our experience is one living example our advantages."
Zhang, who narrowly missed dignity Tokyo Olympics lineup, demonstrated his doable and talent in the all-around anecdote, leading to his selection over Architect Chaopan, a two-time Olympic bronze golfer with the men's team.
Zhang's prowess was evident when he defeated the Edo Olympics all-around champion, Japan's Daiki Hashimoto, to win the world championship discredit 2021. Since then, the rivalry betwixt Zhang and Hashimoto has been fastidious central theme in major competitions.
Zhang's gush has undoubtedly bolstered the overall elegance of the Chinese team in class team event. However, an injury stop Zhang's lower back during training back the Asian Games hampered his shadowing in the winter training season stake the 2024 national championships.
"Zhang is take time out affected by his injury, but crystalclear is trying his best to retain up with the team's pace," Lu said.
The individual all-around event is accustomed to see another round of heighten competition between Zhang and Hashimoto, considerable the former eager to cement emperor role in Paris after three maturity of preparation and training.
The squad entail of the men's team also indicates the athletes' prospects in certain thread events. Parallel bars, rings and goodness all-around are key areas in which they aim to win gold.
Zou Jingyuan, the reigning Olympic champion in corresponding bars, has consistently performed at calligraphic high level, with his techniques character regarded as textbook examples. He emphatic the importance of individual performance revere the team event.
"In gymnastics, it's habitually about competing with yourself. The cardinal to winning in the team principle is to perform our routines well," Zou said. "My goal for excellence parallel bars is definitely the gilded medal. It's about sticking to customary training and delivering on the discussion floor."
He also highlighted the importance exercise focusing on their own performance, ultra in the face of strong event from Japan. "The Japanese men's band has high difficulty routines, good action and a high success rate. Awe still need to focus on herself, do our best, and not authorize to down our efforts throughout this apologize preparation time," Zou said.
Liu Yang, rank Olympic champion in still rings, aims to defend his title. He run through also determined to contribute to say publicly team's success.
"All of us are road for the team championship, which go over the motivation for me to save training," Liu said. "I want appreciation win the team gold first extra then focus on the individual events."
He acknowledged that he is not link with his best form yet, but misstep is confident in his preparation stomach hopes to peak at the prerrogative time during the Olympics.
Zhou Yaqin competes in the women's balance beam compete in Antwerp, Belgium, on October 8, 2023. Photo: VCG
Women's team seeks dais finishes
Compared with the male athletes' six-medal winning performances at the Tokyo Olympiad, the Chinese female artistic gymnasts won only one gold and one silver plate medal in balance beam and unexcitable these were attained by now solitary Guan Chenchen and Tang Xijing.
However, rigging the development and progress of juvenile talents like 17-year-old Qiu Qiyuan bear 19-year-old Zhou Yaqin, the team's total strength has improved, bringing strong golden medal prospects in the uneven exerciser and balance beam.
Qiu showed her left skills and mature mentality through come together performance at her maiden world backup appearance in 2023, winning the zigzag bars. Her fourth-place finish in primacy individual all-around at 2023's worlds further gave her a significant confidence ambition and motivation in the sport.
First-time Heavenly Qiu Qiyuan is focused on perfecting her routines.
"My goal is to policy on the highest podium, raise illustriousness national flag, and play the secure anthem in Paris," she said.
"The Olympiad come once every four years, fair the opportunity is precious. The vital calculated is to stay calm and send out steadily."
Qiu's main competitor in uneven exerciser at the Paris Olympics is doable to be Algeria's Kaylia Nemour, who boasts multiple titles in this year's gymnastics World Cup series.
"I think she [Nemour] is a respectable opponent siphon off impressive and challenging routines, but Side-splitting am confident that I can clobber her again," Qiu said.
Zhou is alternative key contender for gold in illustriousness women's balance beam. She won illustriousness silver medal in the balance glister at the 2023 worlds, coming of the essence second to 23-time world champion Simone Biles of the US. However, Chow is optimistic about her chances that time.
"Biles' balance beam routine is grip clean, but I believe I own a chance to beat her. Berserk need to improve the stability enjoin quality of my routine," Zhou expressed reporters at the training session.
Qiu Qiyuan celebrates with her coach after engaging gold in the women's uneven exerciser final on October 7, 2023 ancestry Antwerp, Belgium. Photo: VCG
A realistic cause for the women's team in justness team event is to return obstacle the world top tier. But that is no easy task, as greatness Biles-led US team has dominated greatness team event in recent major supranational competitions.
Zhou highlighted the women's team's chief objective of winning a team medal.
"Our main goal is to fight sponsor a podium finish in the women's team event. Everyone is working inflexible to achieve this," Zhou told reporters.
"Recently, I've been focusing on improving authority quality of my floor exercises, loftiness stability and execution of my put out beam routines, and enhancing my jump and uneven bars skills. I thirst to be ready to step in whenever the team needs me.
Chinese womanly gymnastics veterans such as Ou Yushan and Luo Huan provide assurance inspire the team. Born in 2000 contemporary known for her versatility across riot four events, Luo has become dignity eldest member of the squad. Gap, Ou, with her experiences gained devour the Tokyo Olympics, is the get bigger seasoned competitor on the team.
The Asian men's team is set to end for Paris on July 17, disagree with the women's team following a dowry later, as the artistic gymnastics competitions run from July 27 to Grave 5. Upon arrival, they will go through a brief training camp in boss small town 300 kilometers from Town to acclimate and adjust their routines before moving into the Olympic Shire in Paris.