Chinese mainland Olympians share experiences, insights with HK compatriots

HONG KONG, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- During their three-day visit in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), a delegation of Chinese mainland Olympians has attended a variety of activities such as performances and presentations and shared their feelings and thoughts with the press.

Table tennis Grand Slam winner Ma Long told reporters on Saturday that he felt the passion of Hong Kong compatriots during his visit here.

Ma was part of the delegation to Hong Kong after the 2016 Rio Olympics. And during his visit to Hong Kong this time, Ma said the support was as strong as ever.

"As an athlete, I still want to promote sports, not only to promote table tennis, but also to encourage people to love sports," he said.

He said although the Games were delayed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the friendship is still very deep. "We can feel the enthusiasm and support from all of you. Wherever we are, we are greeted by warm-hearted citizens, which is very heartwarming," he said.

Olympic shot put champion Gong Lijiao told reporters that this is her third visit to Hong Kong, having previously spent time at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University for rehabilitation and another time competing.

Although she is 32 years old, Gong said she still dreams of participating in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

"The next Olympics is three years away, it is not a very long time. But for someone who is more than 30 years old with an injury, there are challenges," she said, showing her determination that she is willing to accept the challenge and prove once again that China women's shot put is top in the world.

Sun Yiwen, who won China's first Olympic gold medal in women's individual epee fencing, said the interaction with the Hong Kong athletes was very meaningful.

Recalling the Tokyo Olympics, Sun said she felt very proud when she remembered the national flag being raised and the national anthem being played in the stadium.

Next, she will focus on the Paris Olympic Games. "The medals of the Paris Olympic Games have a special sense of design, and I am very looking forward to it," she added.

China's sprint icon Su Bingtian said every athlete will pursue his or her dreams and become stronger and stronger.

At Tokyo 2020, Su became the first Chinese to qualify for the Olympic men's 100m final, setting an Asian record of 9.83 seconds in the semifinals.

Su said he thinks it is going to be very difficult for him to break his record, which ranks 14th fastest in history. But he expressed his belief that he wants to continue to persist and make breakthroughs in other aspects.

Su, also an associate professor at Jinan University, said he hopes to play a role in the development of sports in Hong Kong in the future.

The visit, as the latest part of "The Spirit of the Times Shines upon Hong Kong" activity series, is organized by the HKSAR government, China's State General Administration of Sport, and the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, with the aims to further enhance humanistic exchanges between Chinese mainland and Hong Kong.