Glory and growth: Team China’s groundbreaking success at Paris Olympics
Team China’s groundbreaking success at Paris Olympics
Editor's Note:
Team China concluded their Paris Olympics campaign with 40 gold, 27 silver, and 24 bronze medals, marking their best performance at an Olympics held abroad.
In diving and table tennis, the Chinese players achieved a landmark sweep of eight and five gold medals respectively across all categories, a rare achievement for the teams at a single Olympics.
As the Olympics concluded on Sunday, Global Times reporters Jiang Li, Wu Jie, Li Yuche and Lu Wenao picked up several stories behind the scenes that can help you remember the glory and sportsmanship displayed in Paris.
Pan Zhanle celebrates after winning the men's 100-meter freestyle final at the Paris Olympics on July 31, 2024. Photo: IC
Among the big contributors to the Chinese delegation's medal haul, the Chinese swim team concluded their campaign at the 2024 Paris Olympics with two golds, three silvers, and seven bronzes. Totaling 12 medals, this marks the highest number ever achieved by the Chinese swim team in Olympic history.
This was a hard-earned result for the team, considering the Chinese swimmers had undergone excessive doping testsahead of and during the Paris Olympics, which many believe disrupted Chinese swimmers' preparations.
Prior to and during the Games, some US institutions and media stirred controversy over alleged doping issues with Chinese swimmers.
According to the World Aquatics, since January, Chinese swimmers have undergone an average of 21 drug tests per athlete, compared with four for Australian swimmers and six for US swimmers.
Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle's sensational gold medal in the men's 100m freestyle helped the team shrug off anxiety.
On July 28, Pan won gold with a world record setting time of 46.40 seconds. This victory marked the first time a Chinese male swimmer won a gold medal in the 100m freestyle at the Olympics.
"This gold medal is very significant for our country, as it representsa historic breakthrough in a new event for Chinese swimming. It's a very exciting achievement," Pan said after the race.
Notably, Pan had revealed in an interview before heading to Paris that he was already capable of swimming under 46.5 seconds but wanted to avoid exposing his true strength too early.
"Fortunately, at the world championships I swam to 46.80 seconds, so my competitors thought that was my limit - it was a smokescreen," Pan said.
Adding to Pan's gold medal, male backstroke swimmer Xu Jiayu won silver in the men's 100m backstroke with a time of 52.32 seconds and female breaststroker Tang Qianting won silver in the women's 100m breaststroke with a time of 1:05.54 on July 30.
In the mixed 4x100m medley relay final on August 4, the Chinese team, consisting of Xu, Qin Haiyang, Zhang Yufei and Yang Junxuan, won silver with a time of 3:37.55, breaking the Asian record and finishing just 0.12 seconds behind the US team.
In the men's 4x100m medley relay, backstroker Xu, breaststroker Qin, butterflyer Sun Jiajun and freestyle star Pan ended 40 years of US dominance since the 1984 Olympics with a sensational 3:27.46.
"I've lost count of how many tests I've undergone. Often, I'm called for testing as early as 6 am, which has definitely affected the rhythm of our overall preparation," said Qin following the 4x100m medley relay final.
Following the men's relay final, the Chinese women's team, featuring Wan Letian, Tang Qianting, Zhang and Yang, secured a bronze medal in the women's 4x100m medley relay final.
A notable moment occurred during the group photo session after the men's 4x100m medley relay.
When taking a group photo at the award ceremony after the relay, the Chinese team originally planned to sit down, but the US team members took the initiative to signal the champions should stand on top. The US team sat down with the French team, and then all team members shook hands and hugged each other.
It's said that the best way to earn respect is through undeniable performance. The impressive performance of the Chinese swim team not only secured medals but also strongly countered doubts.
荣耀与成长：中国队在巴黎奥运会上的突破性成功
中国队在巴黎奥运会上取得突破性成功
在中国代表团获得奖牌的主要贡献者中，中国游泳队在2024年巴黎奥运会上以两枚金牌、三枚银牌和七枚铜牌结束了他们的比赛。共获得12枚奖牌，这是中国游泳队在奥运会历史上取得的最高成绩。
考虑到中国游泳运动员在巴黎奥运会之前和期间接受了过度的兴奋剂检测，许多人认为这扰乱了中国游泳运动员的准备工作，这对球队来说是一个来之不易的结果。
在奥运会之前和期间，一些美国机构和媒体就中国游泳运动员涉嫌兴奋剂问题引发了争议。
根据世界游泳协会的数据，自1月以来，中国游泳运动员平均每名运动员接受21次药物检测，而澳大利亚游泳运动员接受4次，美国游泳运动员接受6次。
中国游泳运动员潘展乐在男子100米自由泳比赛中获得的轰动性金牌帮助全队摆脱了焦虑。
7月28日，潘以46.40秒的世界纪录获得金牌。这场胜利标志着中国男子游泳运动员首次在奥运会上获得100米自由泳金牌。
潘赛后表示：“这枚金牌对我们国家来说意义重大，因为它代表着中国游泳新项目的历史性突破。这是一项非常令人兴奋的成就。”。
值得注意的是，潘在前往巴黎之前的一次采访中透露，他已经能够在46.5秒以下游泳，但希望避免过早暴露自己的真实实力。
潘说：“幸运的是，在世锦赛上，我游到了46.80秒，所以我的竞争对手认为这是我的极限——这是一个烟幕弹。”。
7月30日，除了潘的金牌外，男子仰泳选手徐嘉余以52.32秒的成绩获得男子100米仰泳银牌，女子蛙泳选手唐钱婷以1:05.54的成绩获得女子100米蛙泳银牌。
在8月4日的4x100米混合泳接力决赛中，由徐嘉余、覃海洋、张雨霏和杨浚瑄组成的中国队以3:37.55的成绩获得银牌，打破了亚洲纪录，仅落后美国队0.12秒。
在男子4x100米混合泳接力赛中，仰泳运动员徐嘉余、蛙泳运动员覃海洋、蝶泳运动员孙家俊和自由泳明星潘展乐以惊人的3:27.46结束了美国自1984年奥运会以来40年的统治地位
覃在4x100米混合泳接力决赛后表示：“我已经记不清自己经历了多少次测试。通常，我早在早上6点就被要求进行测试，这肯定会影响我们整体准备的节奏。”。
在男子接力决赛之后，由万乐天、唐钱婷、张雨霏和杨浚瑄组成的中国女子团体在女子4x100米混合泳接力决赛中获得铜牌。
男子4x100米混合泳接力赛后的合影环节发生了一个值得注意的时刻。
在接力结束后的颁奖典礼上合影时，中国队原本计划坐下来，但美国队成员主动示意冠军站在上面。美国队和法国队坐在一起，然后所有队员都握手拥抱。
赢得尊重的最佳方式是通过不可否认的表现。中国游泳队令人印象深刻的表现不仅获得了奖牌，而且有力地反驳了人们的怀疑。
Culture-powered breakthroughs
Chinese athletes have made a string of historic achievements at the Paris Olympic Games, marking the country's growing competitiveness in a broader spectrum of sports and leaving a powerful legacy for youths in China.
Zheng Qinwen, 21, made history by becoming the first Asia-born player to win a gold medal in the Olympic tennis singles event. Her victory is especially significant as tennis has traditionally been a sport dominated by Western players. Zheng's ground-breaking victory reflects China's growing prowess in a wider range of sports and is sure to inspire the younger generation of tennis players.
Zheng Qinwen returns to Croatia's Donna Vekic during the women's singles final tennis match at the Paris Olympics on August 3, 2024. Photo: Li Hao/GT
As Zheng withdrew from the tennis mixed doubles event to focus on singles, Wang Xinyu paired up with Zhang Zhizhen right before the mixed doubles event began. In only four days, this interim duo secured a silver medal in China's first attempt in the Olympic mixed doubles.
Deng Yawen, an 18-year-old Chinese BMX prodigy, chalked up a historic victory in the women's BMX freestyle park finals. Her stunning performance, scoring 92.60 points in her best run, not only secured China's first-ever gold medal in this event but also highlighted the rapid development of BMX as a sport in China. Deng's victory is particularly significant given that BMX freestyle is a relatively new discipline in the Olympics, having debuted in Tokyo 2020.
China's artistic swimming head coach Zhang Xiaohuan said she felt it was "a bit unreal" when China won its first-ever Olympic gold medal in artistic swimming with a fluid acrobatic team routine. Wang Liuyi and Wang Qianyi also secured China's first Olympic title in artistic swimming's duet free routine. Zhang attributed the milestone triumph to generations of effort.
"We have shed blood, sweat and tears, but in the end, we all held on. This is the result of the collective effort of the team and the relentless pursuit of generations of Chinese synchronized swimmers," said Zhang.
Zhang noted that one of the key reasons for Chinese team's breakthroughs was their commitment to incorporating Chinese cultural elements into their performance. For example, they used movements from the martial art Wing Chun and created a visual representation of the Chinese oracle bone script character for "mountain."
"As a non-English-speaking country, it's incredibly challenging for China to achieve a breakthrough in this sport, which has long been dominated by Western countries. Gaining global recognition is no small feat. We will continue on this path, showcasing more elements of Chinese culture and expressing our cultural confidence to the world," she said.
On Friday, China's women's hockey team took silver after a tense 3-1 shootout defeat to the Netherlands, equaling the team's best Olympic record set during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
The Chinese women's rugby team has also achieved their best-ever performance at the Olympics with a 6th place finish.
These achievements are significant as they highlight China's growing competitiveness in global sports beyond their traditional strongholds like table tennis and diving. The success of younger athletes in these diverse disciplines reflects the country's investment in broadening its athletic capabilities and signifies a new era of Chinese sportsmanship on the world stage.
Deng Yawen competes in the women's cycling BMX freestyle park final at the Paris Olympics on July 31, 2024. Photo: Li Hao/GT
【语法填空改编】
Chinese athletes have made a string of historic achievements at the Paris Olympic Games, marking the country's growing competitiveness in a broader spectrum of sports 1._____ leaving a powerful legacy for youths in China.
Zheng Qinwen, 21, 2.______(make) history by becoming the first Asia-born player to win a gold medal in the Olympic tennis singles event. Her victory is especially significant as tennis has traditionally been a sport 3.________(dominate) by Western players. Zheng's ground-breaking victory reflects China's growing prowess in a wider range of sports and is sure to inspire the younger generation of tennis players.
Deng Yawen, an 18-year-old Chinese BMX prodigy, chalked up a historic victory in the women's BMX freestyle park finals. Her 4._______(stun) performance, scoring 92.60 points in her best run, not only secured China's first-ever gold medal in this event but also highlighted the rapid development of BMX as a sport in China. Deng's victory is 5._______(particular) significant given that BMX freestyle is a relatively new discipline in the Olympics, having debuted in Tokyo 2020.
China's artistic swimming head coach Zhang Xiaohuan said she felt it was "a bit unreal" when China won 6._______ (it) first-ever Olympic gold medal in artistic swimming with a fluid acrobatic team routine. Wang Liuyi and Wang Qianyi also secured China's first Olympic title in artistic swimming's duet free routine. Zhang attributed the milestone triumph 7._______ generations of effort. Zhang noted that one of the key reasons for Chinese team's breakthroughs was their commitment to incorporating Chinese cultural elements into their performance. For example, they used 8._________(movement) from the martial art Wing Chun and created a visual representation of the Chinese oracle bone script character for "mountain."
On Friday, China's women's hockey team took silver after 9._______ tense 3-1 shootout defeat to the Netherlands, equaling the team's best Olympic record set during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.The Chinese women's rugby team has also achieved their best-ever performance at the Olympics with a 6th place finish.
These achievements are significant 10.________ they highlight China's growing competitiveness in global sports beyond their traditional strongholds like table tennis and diving. The success of younger athletes in these diverse disciplines reflects the country's investment in broadening its athletic capabilities and signifies a new era of Chinese sportsmanship on the world stage.
【参考答案】
1.and 2.made 3.dominated 4.stunning 5.particularly 6.its 7.to 8.movements 9.a 10.as
文化驱动的突破
中国运动员在巴黎奥运会上取得了一系列历史性成就，标志着中国在更广泛的体育领域的竞争力日益增强，并为中国年轻人留下了强大的遗产。
21岁的郑钦文创造了历史，成为第一位在奥运会网球单打比赛中获得金牌的亚洲出生的运动员。她的胜利尤其重要，因为网球传统上是一项由西方球员主导的运动。郑的突破性胜利反映了中国在更广泛的体育运动中日益增强的实力，必将激励年轻一代的网球运动员。
由于郑退出网球混双比赛，专注于单打，王欣瑜在混双比赛开始前与张之臻搭档。在短短四天内，这对临时组合在中国首次参加奥运会混双比赛中获得银牌。
邓雅文，18岁的中国BMX神童，在女子自由式小轮车公园决赛中取得了历史性的胜利。她惊人的表现，在最佳成绩中得了92.60分，不仅为中国赢得了该项目的首枚金牌，也突显了BMX自由式小轮车作为一项运动在中国的快速发展。邓的胜利尤其重要，因为自由式小轮车在2020年东京奥运会上首次亮相，是奥运会上一个相对较新的项目。
中国艺术游泳队主教练张晓欢表示，当中国以流畅的高难度团体动作赢得首枚奥运会艺术游泳金牌时，她觉得“有点不真实”。王柳懿和王芊懿还获得了中国首个奥运会艺术游泳双人自由泳冠军。张将这一里程碑式的胜利归功于几代人的努力。
张说：“我们流下了鲜血、汗水和泪水，但最终我们都坚持了下来。这是团队集体努力和几代中国花样游泳运动员不懈追求的结果。”。
张指出，中国队取得突破的关键原因之一是他们致力于将中国文化元素融入到他们的表演中。例如，他们使用武术咏春拳的动作，创造了中国甲骨文“山”字的视觉表现
她说：“作为一个非英语国家，中国在这项长期由西方国家主导的运动中取得突破是一项极具挑战性的任务。获得全球认可绝非易事。我们将继续沿着这条道路前进，展示更多中国文化元素，向世界表达我们的文化自信。”。
周五，中国女子冰球队在紧张的3-1点球大战中输给荷兰队，获得银牌，追平了该队在2008年北京奥运会上创下的最佳奥运纪录。
中国女子橄榄球队也以第六名的成绩在奥运会上取得了有史以来最好的成绩。
这些成就意义重大，因为它们突显了中国在乒乓球和跳水等传统优势之外的全球体育中日益增强的竞争力。年轻运动员在这些不同领域的成功反映了中国在扩大运动能力方面的投资，标志着中国体育精神在世界舞台上的新时代。
Moments of Olympism
Whether it's Chinese player He Bingjiao displaying a Spain flag pin on the podium or weightlifter Shi Zhiyong competing on-site while injured, Chinese athletes at the Paris Olympic Games have shown the true sportsmanship, making sports a channel to convey the human spirit.
China's two-time Olympic champion Shi created a poignant memory in Paris on Friday. Competing in the men's 73kg category, he failed his three attempts to lift 191 kilograms. Behind his "failure," it turns out the athlete had torn his adductor muscle during the competition.
In a post-match interview, Shi teared up as he said he was "very sorry for the whole team" and that he "did not expect things to end like this." His words and resilience inspired numerous Chinese netizens to flock to social media platform Sina Weibo to express their love. One netizen noted that "his courage weighs a thousand pounds."
Shi failed to win any medals, marking a departure from his previous Olympic successes in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo. However, his regrets in Paris highlight the invisible physical toll that athletes endure.
Chinese netizens' attitude of showing understanding toward an athlete's loss has commonly been seen during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Another example was the encouragements sent to Chinese men's gymnastics team, especially to the 24-year-old Su Weide after he fell from the horizontal bar down twice.
"Losing a gold medal in the gymnastics finals is generally unacceptable to us because we are so good at it, but I'll accept Su's mistake because for a true fan like me, I prioritize our athletes than any results," Li Yang, a sport fan, told the Global Times.
Besides Su, sports fans were also much more light-hearted in expressing their support rather than blame after Tokyo Games champion fencer Sun Yiwen was eliminated in the Round of 32 in Paris.
Chinese fans' growing tolerance toward these setbacks reveals the public are more than ever "wanting to be a part of sports" as well as "reflecting more deeply on sports values," cultural sociologist Xu Shuming told the Global Times.
"Friendship" might be one of these "sports values" that Chinese athletes have shown in Paris.
To show her support for Spanish badminton player Carolina Marin, who forfeited her semi-final match due to a knee injury, China's silver medalist He Bingjiao brought a pin with the Spanish flag onto the medal podium.
Although the pin was difficult to see pinched between He's fingers, the Chinese athlete's gesture was timeless and what one netizen called on Sina Weibo "a gesture of the Olympic spirit."
奥林匹克主义的时刻
无论是中国运动员何冰娇在领奖台上展示西班牙国旗徽章，还是举重运动员石智勇受伤在现场比赛，中国运动员在巴黎奥运会上都表现出了真正的体育精神，使体育成为传达人类精神的渠道。
周五，中国两届奥运冠军石智勇在巴黎留下了深刻的回忆。在男子73公斤级比赛中，他三次举起191公斤的尝试都失败了。在他的“失败”背后，原来这位运动员在比赛中撕裂了内收肌。
在赛后的一次采访中，石泪流满面，他说他“为全队感到非常抱歉”，他“没想到事情会这样结束”。他的话和韧性激发了众多中国网民涌向社交媒体平台新浪微博表达他们的爱意。一位网友指出，“他的勇气重达一千磅。”
石没有赢得任何奖牌，这标志着他与之前在里约热内卢和东京奥运会上的成功有所不同。然而，他在巴黎的遗憾突显了运动员所承受的无形的身体伤害。
2024年巴黎奥运会期间，中国网民对运动员失利表示理解的态度屡见不鲜。
另一个例子是对中国男子体操队的鼓励，尤其是对24岁的苏炜德在两次从单杠上摔下来后的鼓励。
体育迷李阳告诉《环球时报》：“在体操决赛中失去金牌对我们来说通常是不可接受的，因为我们非常擅长，但我会接受苏的错误，因为对于像我这样的真正粉丝来说，我优先考虑我们的运动员，而不是任何成绩。”。
除了苏，东京奥运会击剑冠军孙一文在巴黎32强赛中被淘汰后，体育迷们也更加轻松地表达了他们的支持，而不是责备。
文化社会学家徐树明告诉《环球时报》，中国球迷对这些挫折越来越宽容，这表明公众比以往任何时候都更“想成为体育的一部分”，也“更深入地反思体育价值观”。
“友谊”可能是中国运动员在巴黎展示的“体育价值观”之一
为了表示对西班牙羽毛球运动员卡罗琳娜·马林的支持，中国银牌得主何冰娇将一枚带有西班牙国旗的别针带上领奖台。马林因膝伤在半决赛中失利。
虽然很难看到别针夹在何的手指之间，但这位中国运动员的手势是永恒的，一位网友在新浪微博上称之为“奥林匹克精神的手势”。
【语法填空改编】
Whether it's Chinese player He Bingjiao displaying a Spain flag pin on the podium 1._______ weightlifter Shi Zhiyong competing on-site while injured, Chinese athletes at the Paris Olympic Games have shown the true sportsmanship, making sports a channel to convey the human spirit.
China's two-time Olympic champion Shi created a poignant memory in Paris on Friday. Competing in the men's 73kg category, he failed his three 2.______(attempt) to lift 191 kilograms. Behind his "failure," it turns out the athlete had torn his adductor muscle during the competition. In a post-match interview, Shi teared up as he said he was "very sorry for the whole team" and that he "did not expect things to end like this." His words and 3._______(resilient) inspired numerous Chinese netizens to flock to social media platform Sina Weibo to express their love. One netizen noted that "his courage weighs a thousand pounds."
Chinese netizens' attitude of showing understanding 4._______ an athlete's loss has commonly been seen during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Another example was the encouragements sent to Chinese men's gymnastics team, 5.________(especial) to the 24-year-old Su Weide after he fell from the horizontal bar down twice. Besides Su, sports fans were also much more light-hearted in 6.________(express) their support rather than blame after Tokyo Games champion fencer Sun Yiwen 7.________(eliminate) in the Round of 32 in Paris.
Chinese fans' growing tolerance toward these setbacks 8._______(reveal) the public are more than ever "wanting to be a part of sports" as well as "reflecting more deeply on sports values," cultural sociologist Xu Shuming told the Global Times.
"Friendship" might be one of these "sports values" that Chinese athletes have shown in Paris. To show her support for Spanish badminton player Carolina Marin, 9._______ forfeited her semi-final match due to 10._______ knee injury, China's silver medalist He Bingjiao brought a pin with the Spanish flag onto the medal podium. Although the pin was difficult to see pinched between He's fingers, the Chinese athlete's gesture was timeless and what one netizen called on Sina Weibo "a gesture of the Olympic spirit."
【参考答案】
1.or 2.attempts 3.resilience 4.toward 5.especially 6.expressing 7.was eliminated 8.reveals 9.who 10.a
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