Chinese veteran Wang Zheng wins silver in women's hammer throw at Tokyo Olympics

Wang Zheng of China competes during the Women's Hammer Throw Final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 3, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Lili)

TOKYO, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese veteran Wang Zheng's last attempt won her the silver medal in the women's hammer throw at Tokyo 2020 here on Tuesday, while Wang Chunyu became the first Chinese athlete to feature in the women's 800 final.

Wang made a season-best throw of 75.30 meters in her second attempt before improving on with a throw of 77.03m to grab the silver. It's China's second silver in women's hammer throw after Zhang Wenxiu in Rio 2016.

Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland defended her goal medal by throwing 78.48 meters. Her compatriot Malwina Kopron had bronze with 75.49m.

"I didn't expect I could get that far in the last attempt," said Wang. "I feel good today, so the first two attempts were pretty stable, but I was thinking too much in the subsequent three attempts."

"Before the last throw, I came to realize it could be my last shot at the Olympics because I may retire soon, so I calmed down in a bid to show my best," said the 33-year-old veteran.

In the first appearance by a Chinese athlete in the women's 800m final, Wang Chunyu recorded a personal best of one minute 57:00 seconds to finish fifth.

"I wasn't really thinking about how fast I could run but I was aiming for a good ranking, for the podium. So I feel very sad. I didn't expect the winner would run that fast," she said.

Lyu Huihui and Liu Shiying both made it to the javelin throw final after the qualification on Tuesday. "I am still not in my best shape, I will try to improve and do my best in the final," said Lyu.

Chinese triple jumper Zhu Yaming and Fang Yaoqing also qualified for the final.

In men's hurdles, Xie Wenjun made it to the semifinal with 13.51 seconds in the heats. "I had a really serious injury this year but I felt ok today. I hope to make some adjustment tonight and try to push for my best in the semifinals tomorrow, so that I would leave no regrets," said Xie.

In the men's 200m race, Chinese sprinter Xie Zhenye posted a season-best of 20.34 seconds in the first round, but only managed to finish in 20.45 seconds in the semifinals and failed to secure a position in the final.

"I spent too much strength in the first half of the face and my performance was affected by running in the inner track," he said after the semifinals.