Original title: Hangzhou Asian Para Games|"There are surprises, there are regrets" - the Chinese taekwondo team won 2 golds, 1 silver and 3 bronzes
On the 25th, the taekwondo competitions of the Hangzhou Asian Para Games were all over, and the Chinese team won 2 golds, 1 silver and 3 bronzes. Team leader Tang Nan said that this young team has gained a lot of surprises at this Asian Para Games, but also has regrets.
On October 24, China's Yao Yinan celebrates after winning the championship. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Huang Zongzhi
On the first day of the competition, "Post-00s" player Shao Qian won the women's K44-52kg competition. She has been involved in professional training for only three years, making her first international competition. On the second day of the competition, Hangzhou girl Yao Yinan won the women's K44-65kg championship on her doorstep. Tang Nan said that the two women's gold medals were a bonus.
China's Chen Shihe (left) during the competition on October 24. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Huang Zongzhi
On the 24th, 21-year-old Chen Shihe won the runner-up in the men's K44-70kg final. Tang Nan said that Chinese men's taekwondo has not been dominant for a long time, and this silver medal is a big breakthrough for the Chinese men's team. Chen Shihe told reporters that not long ago, in the 2023 World Paralympic Taekwondo Grand Prix Taiyuan competition, he only finished fifth because of insufficient physical fitness, and he was "uncomfortable", so he trained himself every day for 10 kilometers of long-distance running.
There are regrets too. Li Yujie, the first Chinese athlete to win a bronze medal at the Paralympic Games, was the favourite to win the women's K44-57kg category at the Asian Para Games, but she fractured her finger during team training before the Games. Although she continued to train and compete, her injured hand severely affected her defense, and she only won the bronze medal.
The Asian Para Games will be very important to Li Yujie, who is fighting for points for the Paris Paralympic Games, and the loss of the Asian Para Games gold medal means that she will be under even more pressure at the 2023 World Paralympic Taekwondo Grand Prix finals in Manchester, England, at the end of the year. "In Manchester I have to fight for gold and win my ticket to the Paris Paralympics with points." Li Yujie said, "This will allow you to leave the wild card qualification to your teammates and allow more Chinese taekwondo athletes to enter the Olympic arena." ”
Yao Yinan in the game. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Huang Zongzhi
There are 11 Chinese taekwondo athletes participating in the Asian Para Games, 5 of whom are participating in international competitions for the first time, many of them are "post-00s", and the youngest team member is only 16 years old. Therefore, Tang Nan believes that the harvest of this Asian Para Games is not only medals. "The growth brought by a competition experience is very great, and it is more effective than the coach's painstaking teaching." Tang Nan said with a smile, "With the strong support of the state and localities, the sport of para-cranibal taekwondo has developed rapidly in recent years, and our young team is full of hope." (Gu Xun)
(Xinhuanet)