Gold Diggers Chinese athletes aim for new glory in London 2012 Summer Olympic Games

By Tang Yuankai

Gold Diggers Chinese athletes aim for new glory in London 2012 Summer Olympic Games

By Tang Yuankai

GONG LEI

China’s star hurdler Liu Xiang’s injury that forced him to quit the

London Diamond League final will not affect his performance at the London 2012 Olympic Games, said Liu’s coach Sun Haiping on July 15.

As one of China’s biggest sports stars, Liu, the “Chinese Fly Man,” has long been the focus of attention for all audiences. His fame skyrocketed when he became the frst Asian to win the gold medal in the men’s 110-meter hurdles at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

“In his previous training in Shanghai, he hurt his intercostal muscle from overexerting himself. Liu had said he could run in the fnal, but just to be safe, we decided to quit the fnals so as to ensure his training for and good performance at the London Olympics,” said Sun.

Liu had qualified for the 110-meter hurdles final after winning the heat in 13.27 seconds at the 2012 London Diamond League, but was unable to continue due to his back injury. The fnal was won by American hurdler Aries Merritt in 12.93 seconds.

He will be competing in the men’s 110-meter hurdles which will be held on August 7, and the gold medal will be decided on August 8.

Battling for gold

At the moment, the battle for gold medals remains a contest primarily between China and the United States, according to previous Olympic statistics.

For many spectators, their biggest concern besides Liu is how many gold medals the Chinese team can win in the upcoming Olympics. Hopes are high that the team can match the accomplishment of ranking No. 1 in the gold medal standings at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In 2008, the Chinese team won 51 gold medals, 15 more than that of the United States, which ranked No. 2 in the gold medal tally.

Without the home field advantage, and due to changes in some events as well as certain rules, it will be diffcult for the Chinese athletes to match the glory of 2008. However, many Chinese sports experts still hold an optimistic attitude.

China is expected to win around 35 gold medals in London. Since none of the three most competitive teams—China, the United States and Russia—is the host country, there is a strong chance China could maintain its No. 1 rank in the gold medal standing this year, said Yi Jiandong, a professor of the Beijing Sport University.

The audience’s high expectation is backed up by a strong line-up on the Chinese team. China has sent a delegation of 621 members this year, of whom 396 are athletes, with 33 of those being gold medal winners in the Athens or the Beijing Olympic Games.

These top-notch athletes will participate in all the competitions in London except football, handball and equestrian. They will be competing with their global peers in 23 sports comprising 212 events.

“Many people believe the gold-medal count of the upcoming Olympics will be basically in line with that of World Championship and World Cup. In that case, the United States is most likely to top the list,” said Yi.

However, individual event competitions differ from the Olympics. Given their rich experience and unparalleled skill, there is little chance that Chinese athletes will lose championships in events like diving, table tennis, badminton, gymnastics, weight lifting, shooting, women’s judo, trampoline and women’s taekwondo. Yi predicted all the above-mentioned events may earn the Chinese team around 30 gold medals in the upcoming games.

Sports stars

China is expected to win gold in the men’s table tennis singles. However, the previous champion, Ma Lin, was not selected as a member of the delegation this time. He acted as a training partner instead.

Wang Hao, a 28-year-old pen-hold grip player, has won three World Cups and one World Championship. If he manages to take the frst place in men’s table tennis singles in London, he will become the third Grand Slam champion of the sports, following two other Chinese players Liu Guoliang and Kong Linghui.

Despite being eliminated in the frst round in the Athens Olympics, famous badminton Grand Slam champion Lin Dan won the championship in the Beijing Olympic Games without suspense, boosting his number of world champion titles to 16. He is the only Chineseathlete among the top 10 most remarkable stars released by Associated Press alongside Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps. Until now, there has been no defending champion in Olympic badminton history. It is a good chance for the 28-year-old Lin to break the spell.

GONG LEI

FAN JUN

FEI MAOHUA

GUO CHEN

Compared with Lin’s high-profile fame, the diving team tends to stay low key. In the frst nine years of the 21st century, the laurel belonged to Guo Jingjing, who won the most Olympic medals and ranked among the top six gold medal winners. After she retired in 2011, Wu Minxia, her partner in the women’s 3-meter springboard double in 2008, finally stood out to take her place.

Wu will join He Zi to compete in the 3-meter springboard double for the third consecutive Olympics, and will also attend the women’s 3-meter springboard singles. If Wu wins the two titles, she would become the third Grand Slam diver after Gao Min and Guo. To add to the drama, 27-year-old Wu will be competing against her younger partner, He, who once defeated her in a stunning performance.

Lin Yue, who won a gold medal in the men’s 10-meter platform diving contest along with Huo Liang at the Beijing Olympic Games, will compete in the event again at the London Olympics.

Liu Zige won gold in the 200-meter butterfly stroke at the Beijing Olympics in a hard-fought final. When the scoreboard revealed she had won frst place, she kept her usual poise. And although she came in frst at the Olympic selective trials, very few people knew of her. When she held a press conference after becoming an Olympic champion, the 19-year-old became known to the world for the frst time.

According to her family, Liu has been introverted since childhood, but she quickly took to sports. Her father, Liu Lihui, encouraged her to channel her extra energy into swimming practice. Those who grew up with her have always felt that Liu has great ambitions and always strives to be the best.

“She has the ability to bear hardships and achieve success through her own efforts,” her coach said. Besides swimming, Liu loves to read and watch historical TV documentaries. She said that reading ancient philosophical classics helped reduce performance pressures and calm her heart before the Olympics.

“In the competition, I didn’t care about my rivals’ performance but instead competed with myself,” she said. In the Rome World Championships in July of 2009 she won a silver medal, but broke her own previous world record at 2’03’90. At the 11th National Games held two months later in Ji’nan, easttangyuankai@bjreview.comChina’s Shandong Province, she not only won gold but also set a new world record at 2’01’81.

Her coach Jin Wei has kept silent about Liu’s London Olympics prospects, which has only added to the anticipation. Jiao Liuyang, another Chinese hopeful, will participate in the same event as Liu, increasing the odds that the swimming team will earn gold.

Compared with the momentum behind the women’s swimming team, the prospect for the men’s gymnastics team to retain their championship title appears bleak. They won the gold medal at the Sydney Olympics for the frst time, but dropped to the ffth place in Athens. The team then put on a strong performance to take the championship again in Beijing. Huang Yubin, head coach of the gymnastics team, said it will be much more diffcult for the men’s team to win in London.

The shooting team is favored to win gold medals in 14 events and may break a new record. Experts say that although luck can play an important part in shooting competitions, the Chinese shooting athletes have put on steady performances in recent years and are expected to win as many as fve gold medals in London. The shooting team is composed of five Beijing Olympic champions, including the couple Pang Wei and Du Li.

Du, who won the frst gold medal of the 2004 Athens Olympics when she took part in her first Olympic Games, failed to win the frst gold medal of the Beijing Olympics in 2008. However, she quickly adjusted and earned gold in the women’s 50-meter rifle three positions, while Pang took first in the men’s 10-meter air pistol. Shortly after the Beijing Olympics, the two fell in love, got married and had a child.

The Chinese weight lifting team won eight gold medals in the Beijing Olympics and experts say the team could win fve to six gold medals in London with ease.

Meanwhile, the women’s volleyball team, once regarded as “unbeatable,” has had poor performances in recent years. They are in the so-called “Group of Death” with the United States and Brazil, and are less likely to stage a comeback.

It is predicted that if China could win around 10 gold medals in boxing, judo and wrestling, it will beat the United States again and take around 37 gold medals—one or two more than that of the United States.