On October 3, in a thrilling and united penalty shootout, the Chinese boys won! This Asian Games men's football bronze medal, won for the first time in 28 years, embodies youth and passion, shines with fighting spirit and hope, adds confidence to Chinese football and boosts the momentum of Chinese sports.
On the occasion of the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, at the Aichi Nagoya Asian Games, the hard work of Chinese athletes coincided with the progress of the motherland. With their youthful appearance, innocent heart, and heroic spirit, they worked hard to write China's glory on the highest competitive stage in Asia and offered their most sincere blessings to the great motherland.
“China Red” shines at the top of Asia
On National Day, the rock climbing team reached a new peak - Zhang Yuetong and Chu Shouhong won the women's rock climbing and men's speed gold medals respectively, becoming the Chinese team's first Asian Games gold medals in these two events. "Rock climbing is an upward sport. In the ever-prosperous big family of the motherland, we climb upward for the motherland!" Coach Zhong Qixin's post-match remarks revealed the never-ending enterprising spirit of Chinese sports.
In 1974, New China participated in the Asian Games for the first time in Tehran, Iran. Eight years later, in New Delhi, India, the Chinese delegation topped the Asian Games gold medal list for the first time and has never let this honor fall by the wayside. The "baton" to defend the glory of being the top of Asia is now in the hands of a new generation of athletes.
At the Tokyo Aquatic Center, the Chinese swimming team set the best record in the history of a single Asian Games with 30 gold medals, 13 silver medals and 11 bronze medals. 19-year-old Zhang Zhanshuo let the world see the edge of China's "new generation" of swimming. In the men's 400-meter freestyle final on September 25, he surfaced after hitting the wall first, raised his hands and counted "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7", crowning himself the "Seven Gold Kings", becoming the athlete with the most gold medals in a single session in the history of China's Asian Games, and also tied the individual gold medal record in the history of the Asian Games.
His ambitions went far beyond that. "Next, I will sprint towards the world record, guard against arrogance and impetuosity, move forward courageously, and turn these seven gold medals into greater motivation."
Chase the waves in the pool and chase the wind on the runway.
In the final of the track and field mixed 4X100m relay, 17-year-old Chen Yujie completed the ultimate overtaking in the last leg, winning the first gold medal in the history of the Asian Games for the Chinese team. The new women's 100-meter champion is outspoken and cute. After winning the championship, she shouted, "Three golds and one silver, I'm so awesome." She also has lofty ambitions, hoping to "represent the women of China and Asia on the world stage and show our charm at the World Championships and the Olympics."
The Chinese track and field team won 17 golds, 14 silvers and 8 bronzes in this event, ranking first in both the gold medal and medal lists, creating the best results in overseas competition since the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok. The epitome of 20-year-old Chen Yuanjiang's domineering roar - after he crossed the line to win the men's 110-meter hurdles, he shouted to the audience in English: "Who is the first? China! (Who is the first? China!)"
New stars are born, and legends continue to be written. As Lian Junjie narrowly won the gold medal in the men's 10-meter platform competition, the Chinese diving team achieved the glory of 100 gold medals in the Asian Games. Since its first participation in 1974, it has never let the Asian Games gold medal fall by the wayside. The 52-year undefeated legend of the "Dream Team" comes from never-ending technological advancement and hard work. After winning the women's 10-meter platform, Chen Yuxi was asked by foreign media about the secrets of the Chinese diving team's gold medal. The 21-year-old replied: "Train hard."
The Chinese gymnastics team faced the Japanese team, which was determined to show off at home, and performed a good show of "pulling teeth out of the tiger's mouth" with courage, tenacity and unity. The men's team achieved three consecutive team championships, and the women's team achieved 14 consecutive team championships since 1974. Zhang Boheng, who was unable to train normally due to injury before the game, gritted his teeth and worked hard with his teammates to join the men's team. After the team won the gold medal, he gave up his subsequent personal projects and wrote on his social account: "The team is always higher than the individual, and team spirit always comes first. After experiencing all kinds of hardships, you will know that it is not in vain."
The five-star red flag rose again and again, and the "March of the Volunteers" was played passionately over and over again. Since the official opening of the Asian Games on September 19, the Chinese delegation has dominated the gold medal list early on. On the afternoon of October 3, as Ding Wenyi, Zheng Yunhe and Jin Zihao jointly won the men's golf team championship, the Chinese delegation won the 166th gold medal in this Asian Games, surpassing the 165 gold medals in the Doha Asian Games 20 years ago, and setting a new record for the number of gold medals in overseas participation in the Asian Games.
A pure heart filled with feelings of family and country
On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the lights in the weightlifting arena were like daylight. 19-year-old Yang Liuyue stepped into the Asian Games for the first time. The barbell passed over her knees and turned to her chest. The huge weight pressed her to the ground. "Come on! Come on! Come on!" The shouts from the Chinese audience in the stands encouraged her. She forced the barbell over her head and stood firmly. 251 kilograms, a new total score world record was born.
"Before playing, I just had one thought: fight hard." Yang Liuyue said. After walking off the podium, she couldn't wait to get back to the Sportsman Cruise - because she had made an appointment to enjoy the moon on the deck with her teammates.
Chinese athletes who compete abroad all year round have long been accustomed to "taking the team as their home." The deepest emotional bond between them is the belief in continuous self-improvement and glory for the country.
Zhang Mingyu, Wu Xiyao, Meng Xin and Fu Jing won the Chinese delegation's first gold medal at the Asian Games in the women's modern pentathlon team event. In this team, the eldest Zhang Mingyu is 24 years old, and the youngest Wu Xiyao has just celebrated her 20th birthday. However, the palms of the four girls and the roots of their fingers are covered with calluses. "Because after equestrian was changed to obstacle course, according to international rules (obstacle course) it needs to be done with bare hands and no protective measures, so these calluses are developed over and over again." said Zhang Bin, chairman of the Chinese Modern Pentathlon Association.
The process of adapting to a new project is painful, but the girls have each other's encouragement and support. Zhang Mingyu, who switched from the "old five sports" to the "new five sports", felt the deepest about this. "Unity is the first requirement for our style construction. This is what we have always worked hard and always adhere to."
The Chinese women's volleyball team, with an average age of less than 22 years old, has experienced an inspiring and resilient growth. With the pain of losing to Thailand in the final of the Asian Championships and missing out on a direct ticket to the Olympics, they trained hard for 23 days, calmly withstood the pressure, and prepared calmly. They beat Thailand 3:2 in the semi-finals and beat Japan in the final, winning the Asian Games gold medal for the tenth time. After overcoming adversity, the girls truly understood the core of the "women's volleyball spirit" - becoming more courageous with every setback and never giving up.
"We did make a turnaround this time and were not defeated because of the defeat in the Asian Championships. The brand of the Chinese women's volleyball team cannot be smashed in our generation, we must take responsibility." said main attacker Zhuang Yushan.
Chinese equestrian is growing from a person's persistence to a group of people's pursuit. Rao Jiayi, Yu Jiayi, Gu Zhanzhao, and Wu Yue joined forces to win the equestrian dressage team title, winning the Asian Games gold medal for the first time for the Chinese team.
"I'm really happy for the new generation of Chinese riders!" The famous general Hua Tian couldn't hide his excitement. As a "veteran of four dynasties" in the Asian Games, he successfully defended his title in the individual equestrian event of this event. What makes him even more happy is that he bid farewell to the days of "riding alone". "Now is an exciting stage for Chinese equestrian."
Deep affection for family and country is the common emotional background of all Chinese people. The Hong Kong team of China and the Macau team of China have won 11 golds and 1 gold respectively in this competition. In the men's singles tennis final on the morning of the 3rd, Hong Kong team Huang Zelin of China defeated China's Wu Yibing. After the game, the two hugged each other for several seconds, full of friendship. When the "March of the Volunteers" played at the award ceremony, and when everyone from the two teams unfurled the five-star red flag and the bauhinia regional flag and took photos, the glory belonged to China.
Zheng Mingzhe, president of the Tennis Association of Hong Kong, China, said: "It was very easy for me to watch the match live today because Huang Zelin and Wu Yibing are both Chinese players. On such a big stage, no matter who wins, it is an honor for the country."
Heroic spirit stirs up inside and outside the stadium
Kneel down and swing the racket, but also return the ball! This is a touching scene in the women's doubles final of the Asian Games.
In nearly two hours of fierce battle, the Chinese combination Liu Shengshu/Tan Ning and the Korean combination Baek Ha Na/Lee So Hee fought to the last moment of the decisive game. Liu Shengshu's left leg cramped while catching the ball and he sat on the ground. But she persisted in fighting. Once when she retreated, she couldn't stand firm and fell to her knees. She still straightened her upper body and tried her best to return the ball.
"Actually, throughout the Asian Games, my body was not very sharp. I felt like I was going to get cramps in the first individual match, and I felt cramps every day after that. My right knee was not good, so my left leg had to share more of the load. After the semifinals, both legs cramped." Liu Shengshu said after the game.
During the award ceremony, Tan Ning always lowered his head, and Liu Shengshu's face was full of regret. But the online comment area is full of encouragement and concern. People no longer only judge heroes by gold medals. What touches people's hearts more than the light of gold medals is the fighting spirit of going all out to win glory for the country.
Liu Huanhua, the 25-year-old Olympic weightlifting champion, could barely stand due to a leg injury two days before the men's 110kg competition. Outside the competition, he sat in a corner alone in frustration. He noticed that the corners of his eyes were getting wet, and silently washed his face. On the competition, he straightened his back while dragging his injured leg, and finally won the bronze medal with a clean and jerk of 220 kilograms.
After the game, Liu Huanhua, who was limping with an ice pack wrapped around his right leg, said: "Although I am not too old this time, my teammates are younger than me, so my identity has become a senior. I am setting an example today - let them know not to give up easily when it is particularly difficult."
The men's football Asian Games team, which topped the group and broke through the "Group of Death", was reversed by the South Korean team in the semi-finals and missed the final. However, this "young army" made a promise after the game that "the battle is not over yet, go home with medals." In the bronze medal game, the boys united as one, tried their best, stayed calm in the face of danger, and defeated the Uzbekistan team in the penalty shootout, making Chinese football take a solid step forward.
This ups and downs process has brought rare tempering to stars of hope such as Wang Yudong and Li Hao. "Every ball must be fought for," is what 29-year-old Zhang Yuning said about his young teammates. Facing every game "like a warrior" is coach Antonio's message to his disciples.
The Nagoya Asian Games journey is coming to an end, and Chinese sports are moving forward. Every breakthrough and every persistence on the field embodies the Chinese sports spirit of continuous self-improvement, unity and hard work, and bravely climbing to the top. This spiritual power that transcends the competition field and transcends victory and defeat will eventually merge into the torrent of national progress, inspiring hundreds of millions of Chinese people to forge ahead, strive for the first place, embark on a new journey with high spirits, and write a new chapter of China's high-quality development in the new era with the power of forge ahead!
