BEIJING, June 20 (Xinhua) -- With fewer races to take part in, and one more year to wait, Chinese sprinter Xie Zhenye is committed to staying patient and focused. No matter what has happened and will happen, his expectation for the Tokyo Olympic Games will remain the same - to become the first Chinese national to reach the final phase of the 100m, 200m and 4X100m events.
"With the postponement of the Olympic Games, I need to be more patient and focused and make good use of this additional year to get better prepared for the Games," said the 27-year-old, who is currently training at the Beijing Sport University.
Xie trained with his national teammates in the United States for four months during the winter and according to his original plan, he would take part in a series of outdoor races in Europe and the US to tune up for the Tokyo Games. But with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, everything needs to be re-planned.
Xie flew to China's coastal city of Qinhuangdao at the end of March, and after a 28-day quarantine, returned to Beijing to start his lockdown training session.
"Although most of the competitions have been canceled or postponed, I can still compete in some virtual events and testing events organized by the national team," Xie said. "I am working closely with my coach and sticking to our new preparation plan. Our aim is to maintain my good form until the Tokyo Games next year."
Xie enjoyed a successful season in 2019. He became the first Chinese to dip under the 20-second barrier in the 200m sprint as he clocked 19.88s in the Diamond League London meet, knocking 0.09s off the previous Asian record achieved by Qatari Femi Ogunode four years ago. And later in the World Championships in Doha, the 2010 Youth Olympic champion became the first Chinese to reach the men's 200m final.
Xie has already met the entry standard of the 100m and 200m events for the Tokyo Olympics and the Chinese relay team has also booked a berth in the 4X100m event. Xie wants to continue his history-making feat by becoming the first Chinese to enter the finals of all the three sprinting events.
"This is my goal and I have the confidence to pursue that. I will try my best and leave no regrets in Tokyo," he said. Enditem
