DOHA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese star sprinter Xie Zhenye wrote a piece of Chinese athletics history as he sailed into the 200m final at Doha world championships on Monday.
Xie advanced as the third fastest runner in the semifinals, finishing in 20.03 seconds to become the first Chinese man ever to qualify for the 200m final at the world championships.
"Yes, I created some history. I did my best today and I am in a bliss and proud of myself," said the 26-year-old Xie who had set the Asian record of 19.88 in July's Diamond League London leg.
In the final, Xie will be up against American Noah Lyles who won three Diamond League titles in this event in 2019 and Doha worlds 100m bronze medalist Andre De Grasse of Canada.
Xie hopes he can repeat the good performance in Tuesday's final.
"I will only focus on my own performance tomorrow and hopefully bring out my best in the final," he said.
Xie will compete in three events in Doha. He missed the 100m final on Saturday and after the 200m final, he will run in the 4x100m relay heats on Friday.
When asked about how he felt racing in his fourth race in as many days, Xie said he is willing to accept the challenges of consecutive races.
"Sure the world championships is a high intensity competition for me but I think every excellent athlete should be able to cope with the busy schedule," he said.
"Usain Bolt used to compete in multiple events and Justin Gatlin also had more than one event when he was young," said Xie. "I think intensive competition schedule is a test for me and also a good training for next year's Tokyo Olympic Games."
