SZ athletes make history for China in two Olympic events

Twins Wang Liuyi and Wang Qianyi, from Shenzhen, celebrate after winning China’s first-ever Olympic duet gold medal in artistic swimming at the Paris Olympics yesterday Beijing Time. Xinhua

AFTER Shenzhen twin sisters Wang Liuyi and Wang Qianyi won China’s first Olympic duet title in artistic swimming at the Paris Olympics yesterday Beijing Time, the 12 Shenzhen athletes who competed in Paris have made history in artistic swimming and tennis for China, and garnered a total of two gold medals, one silver, and one bronze.

The Shenzhen Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Shenzhen Municipal Government sent a congratulatory message to the Chinese sports delegation and the Wang sisters yesterday.

“The twins’ performance epitomizes the spirit of Chinese athletes, characterized by their relentless pursuit of excellence and their audacity to reach new heights. This display of determination is poised to inspire the people of Shenzhen to take on a pioneering role in deepening reforms and promoting Chinese-style modernization,” the message read.

The twins performed the theme of Cheetahs yesterday, demonstrating their speed, power, and the tempo of the music.

“It was a bittersweet feeling because we were under great pressure before the duet free event since we didn’t have the highest difficulty routine. We might have lost despite our early lead in the duet technical event,” said elder sister Wang Liuyi, who missed Tokyo 2020 due to an injury.

“Our advantage was artistic expression and high quality,” said younger sister Wang Qianyi, who won a silver medal in the team event in Tokyo.

Laughing and crying, the 27-year-old Wang sisters celebrated the victory with all of their teammates and coaches.

“It was our first duet Olympic title and the second artistic swimming gold medal for China. We felt proud that we were together in both the duet and team events,” said Wang Qianyi.

On Thursday Beijing Time, the Wang sisters helped secure a gold medal for China in the artistic swimming team event.

Another standout, Shenzhen tennis player Wang Xinyu, teamed up with Zhang Zhizhen for the mixed doubles event and won the silver medal, setting a record for the best performance by Chinese athletes in Olympic tennis mixed doubles.

In swimming, Shenzhen’s Tang Muhan earned a bronze medal in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay, while Chen Juner finished fourth in the 4x100m freestyle relay, setting a new Olympic best for China in this event.

Shenzhen pole vaulter Huang Bokai reached the finals for the first time in his third Olympic appearance, setting a new personal best and achieving the highest jump ever by a Chinese athlete in Olympics.

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games concluded early today Beijing Time. This year’s Olympics featured 32 sports, 329 events, and participants from 206 countries and regions. The Chinese delegation was comprised of 716 members, including 405 athletes who competed in 30 sports, 42 disciplines, and 236 events. China won 40 gold medals in Paris, the country’s best result at an overseas Olympics. (Shenzhen Daily)