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China Hopes to Win Four Golds in Track and Field
Historically, track and field has been the main event of the Olympics and a key event for every country. In the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, the number of track and field events have increased 46 from 44 thanks to the addition of the women's pole vault and women's hammer throw. However, only a few athletes will win the gold. Most countries can only dream of winning the gold. Will China be able to win a gold in Sydney?
The answer is possibly. According to the State General Administration of Sport , the goal for the Chinese track and field team is to win one gold, two or three silver medals, and five or six athletes to place in the top eight.
In recent years, China has become one of the world's powerhouses in sports but its level of track and field has not improved accordingly. Since the 1984 Los Angeles Games, only Chen Yueling and Wang Junxia have won gold medals in the women's 10 kilometer and 5 kilometer foot race in 1992 and 1996 respectively. Wang Junxia has retired for a long time and "Ma's runners" are not as strong as it was in the past. Overall, the track and field team is weaker than the one China sent to the last Olympics. But China is making a comeback in the women's race walk, giving the Chinese hope to win a gold in track and field at the Olympics.
Liu Hongyu and Wang Yan, trained by "demon coach" Wang Kui, are veterans in the event. They won the gold and silver medals in the last world tournament in Spain. Although they began their training very early, their road to success has not been easy.
Wang Yan has trained under Wang Kui since 1983. She broke the world's record three times in 1986. But over the next four years, she slumped badly. In 1992, she began her training again and reached new heights. Today, she is married and is confident about her physical strength and condition. But she feels that her teammate Liu Hongyu has a greater chance at winning the gold.
Liu Hongyu, 25, began training under Wang Kui 1992. Born to farmers, Liu can handle a lot of adversity. She enhanced her physical strength and willpower though severe training and it has finally paid off. She won the championship in the women's 10 kilometer race walk at the 1998 Asian Games, women' s 20 kilometer race walk in the 1999 World Cup and World Championship.
Although Liu Hongyu and Wangyan are short, they have a lot of experience. The change from women's 10 kilometer race walk to the 20 kilometer race walk in this Olympics will benefit the two athletes.
In the first half of this year, China's race walk team participated in a series of competitions in Europe. Liu Hongyu won in four stations. Liu Hongyu deserves to be praised for not getting any red cards in the competitions unlike other Chinese athletes who frequently get red carded in international competitions.
But, China's old foes, the Russian team had five athletes who walked faster than Liu Hongyu in the Olympic trials. Two of them set records at 1:25:18 and 1:25:20, two and a half minutes faster than Liu Hongyu's record of 1:27:55 set this April. Although the Russian team have more athletes ranked in the world's top ten, Liu Hongyu still is the better than they are. In Olympic Games, the keys to winning are an effective tactics and not getting red cards.
The middle-distance race also is a key event for China. This June, the women's team led by coach Ma Junren won the women's 1,500 kilometers, 5,000 kilometers and 10,000 kilometers at China's Olympic trials. Currently, two runners have a shot at the gold. One is Dong Yanmei, a runner in the women's 5000 kilometers and another is Li Jingnan, a runner in the women's 1,500 kilometers. Dong Yanmei set her personal best of 15:03:99 in the women's 5,000 kilometers this May. This was the fifth fastest time in the world fifth position last year. Many runners have run around 14:40:00 this year. To win a medal in Sydney, the runners will need to run around 14:50:00. But, Dong Yanmei set this year's world record in the women's 3000 kilometers at the World Gold Championship this year. This showed that she trained hard but still has room for improvement. Li Jingnan won the sillver medal in the women's 1500 kilometers in the Europe Gold Championship, which many top athletes didn't participate in this year. Thus, the medal doesn't prove that she is capable of winning a medal in Sydney.
Currently, "Ma's runners" are working hard in the final preparition in Qinghai plateaus. After training hard for a month, perhaps he will bring his compatriots an unexpected pleasant surprise in the Olympics.
The Chinese team also has a chance to be competitive in the men's race walk and women's long jump.
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