OLYMPIC PREPARATION
13 years later, nobody can ignore the threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic to the Olympic movement, especially with the Tokyo Olympics being postponed by one year.
However, like their counterparts in other places, Chinese athletes showcased an unswerving faith in striving for Olympic glory.
Two-time Olympic taekwondo gold medalist Wu Jingyu turns 34 on Tuesday. Starting her Olympic campaign by pocketing gold on home soil in 2008 and defending it in London four years later, she is ready to make a record fourth Olympic appearance as a female taekwondo athlete.
"I just knew that I had won the gold medal but had no idea of why I won it. When everyone cheers for you, you just have a sense of pride," Wu recalled.
Wu retired after finishing seventh at the Rio Olympic Games, and gave birth to her daughter in 2017.
After deciding to return to competition, Wu faced a race against time to rack up enough ranking points to qualify for Tokyo. Despite enormous challenges, she managed to secure her spot after finishing runner-up in the women's under-49kg category final at last year's World Taekwondo Grand Prix Final in Moscow.
"For a moment during that period, I even doubted whether I used to be a taekwondo athlete or not," Wu recalled.
But her faith in herself never faded. "No one knows what will happen next, but I always want to challenge the top podium."
Like Wu, veterans persevere in chasing their dreams out of pure love for the sport, while some others are set to debut at an Olympics that will be quite different from previous editions.
Scooping 28 out of 32 gold medals on offer since 1988, China is undoubtedly a powerhouse in table tennis. Anything less than a clean sweep of all available Olympic gold medals would be deemed a failure.
"That's a weight off my mind," said women's singles world No. 1 Chen Meng after being named in China's Olympic table tennis roster.
The Chinese team competed and trained overseas amid the initial COVID-19 outbreak early in 2020.
"We took care of and helped each other this year, and this united group has produced an excellent Chinese team," commented Qin Zhijian, secretary-general of the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA).
In search of another title sweep, the team has finished its behind-closed-doors training in east China's city of Weihai.
"We have the ability and confidence in contending for all five golds, but there are challenges and risks as well, especially considering the pace and manner of preparation is quite different during the COVID-19 pandemic," noted CTTA president and sporting legend Liu Guoliang.
