Since the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi, the Chinese delegation has topped the gold medal list for 11 consecutive years. In this Asian Games trip, the Chinese team will launch its 12th attack on the gold medal list. When "number one" gradually becomes an expected result, let's focus on another question: If we don't look at the gold medal list, what else can we look at in Chinese sports? Is it the 548 new faces of the Asian Games among the 815 athletes, or is it the Olympic champions passing on their experience and driving the growth of the newcomers? This is a "frontline battle" for the Los Angeles Olympics. How to train for this actual battle? Or is it the real test brought about by new projects, away game environment and changes in the Asian landscape?
Yan Ziyi, an 18-year-old female javelin thrower, came back to win the championship in the 2026 World Athletics Diamond League Finals held this month. With a record of five wins in the season, she set a new tournament record and reached the top of the world, becoming the youngest annual champion in the history of the event. This year she threw an Asian record of 71.74 meters, which is close to the world record of 72.28 meters.
Now Wonder Girl is about to make her Asian Games debut. Chen Chen, the on-site announcer of the Chinese Athletics Association, said that the competition between Yan Ziyi and the famous Japanese player, Haruka Kitaguchi, the world championship and Olympic double champion, will be very interesting.
Yan Ziyi is not the only bright spot. In the Asian Games, youth storm is sweeping across. The Chinese women's gymnastics team sent five people including Ke Qinqin, Zhang Qingying, Qiu Qiyuan, Zhang Yihan and Du Siyu, all of whom are Asian Games recruits. 16-year-old Ke Qinqin is already the most outstanding all-around player in the team; Zhang Qingying, who was born in 2007, also has a world championship title. As for the shooting team, Du Yuchen, Bu Shuaihang, Ma Sihan, and Shen Yiyao began to stand out in international competitions this year.
Different projects, similar faces, the pulse of old and new is clearly visible. Data also confirms this youthful force: There are 815 athletes in this Chinese sports delegation, with an average age of 24 years old. Among them, 548 were participating in the Asian Games for the first time, more than two-thirds; "post-2005" accounted for 27% of the total number of athletes.
Such a structure itself illustrates the long-term considerations of Chinese sports. The Asian Games is not an isolated competition. It is not only a stage for Chinese sports to test the results of periodic training, but also an important step for young athletes to compete at a higher level. Letting newcomers play is not simply to push young people out, but to let them feel the rhythm, adapt to pressure, and understand competition in a real competition environment. Many abilities can only be developed in real competitions; many psychological changes can only occur after experiencing competitions. Du Li, the leader of the national pistol shooting team, said that the mission of this Asian Games is to prepare for the Olympic Games.
Of course, newcomers cannot compete with only expectations and no tests. The intensity, pace, and attention at the Asian Games are much higher than usual. The nervousness of playing for the first time, fluctuations in physical condition, and self-doubt are all hurdles that newcomers must overcome.
Therefore, the significance of newcomers participating in the competition is not only "dare to take the challenge", but also "whether they can withstand it after taking the challenge". This is also a problem that each team focuses on solving in preparation for the game.
The track and field team trains newcomers through an intensive schedule-from the U23 championship to the national championship to the team test match, maximizing the intensity. The shooting team simulated the Asian Games schedule, allowing athletes to get up early to adapt to local time differences and traffic characteristics.
However, no matter how fully prepared you are, it still comes down to your mentality. In table tennis, the average age of the five-person National Table Tennis Women's Team is the youngest to have participated in the Asian Games women's team in the past 20 years. Hou Yingchao, a former national table tennis player, analyzed that before a competition, experience can be accumulated, skills can be polished, and tactics can be designed, but what really determines whether a young person can overcome that hurdle is often the heart.
After all, the Asian Games is not only a podium for champions, but also a proving ground for young people to build their competitive temperament. There are 548 new faces in the Asian Games, 27% of whom are "post-2005". They carry not only the current medal expectations, but also the proactive layout of Chinese sports for the Los Angeles Olympics and the longer-term future.
