MONACO, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese shot put star Gong Lijiao hoped to defend her title at the World Championships next year in Doha.
"I want to consolidate my skills to defend the title and improve my personal best at the World Championships," Gong told Xinhua during an International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) awarding ceremony on Tuesday.
It was the second straight year that Gong has appeared at the athletics' year-end gala.
"I felt much better this year. It's an honor for me to be part of it," she said.
Gong won the 2018 Asian Games gold medal in Jakarta, before retaining her Diamond League champion.
"I can be satisfied with what I have achieved in 2018. There are not many major tournaments this year, so all my preparation is around the Tokyo Olympic Games," she pointed out.
The 2019 Doha World Championships will be without doubt the most important tournament prior to the Tokyo Olympics.
"I hope to move a step further from my personal best of 20.43m and try to achieve a result around 20.50m," Gong said, adding that she needs to improve both her fitness and skills in the winter training.
"I feel that I lack something in terms of my skills, so I need to do a bit more on that," she added.
