In the women’s synchronized 10m platform final at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday, Chinese divers Chen Yuxi and Quan Hongchan won gold, giving them a resounding triumph. With wins in the men’s synchronized 10m platform and women’s synchronized 3m springboard events, China has now won the third gold in diving and the seventh at the Games.
Chen and Quan’s amazing performance, which displays extraordinary technique and collaboration, maintains China’s dominance in Olympic diving.
The Chinese diving team demonstrated their superiority in the women’s synchronized 10m platform event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
After outperforming their rivals by more than 13 points in the first two rounds with excellent dives, they started doing increasingly challenging dives in the third round.
Their lead grew rapidly thanks to their consistent and excellent performances; by the last round, they had a commanding 43.20-point lead over the second-place team and had won the gold medal. China’s outstanding performance, which included a gold medal from Chen and her previous diving partner, Zhang Jiaqi, solidified their place as the event’s winners.
Quan and Chen’s golden streak in synchronized 10m platform events
Quan and Chen started participating in synchronized diving competitions at the beginning of 2022, and they soon became a formidable team. Together, they have won gold medals at major events like the Asian Games, World Cup, and World Championships in the women’s synchronized 10m platform.
Notably, Quan’s victory in the 10m platform gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics was followed by her debut in the synchronized event.
Quan stated; “Obviously, I want to perform to the best of my abilities and stand atop the highest podium. I always feel like I could be doing better.”
Chinese swimmer Zhang Yufei, who tested positive for drugs, denies cheating, wins butterfly bronze, helps China finish third in 4x100m relay
Chinese Olympic champion Zhang Yufei has appealed to people to “look at the Chinese swimming team through an unbiased lens in response to the unfair treatment and criticism that Chinese swimmers are facing”, reports China’s Global Times.
Zhang, who was one of 23 Chinese athletes who tested positive for a banned substance before the Tokyo Olympics, said on Saturday (July 27) that she and her teammates had been wrongly accused of doping and insisted that China would never allow any athlete to use performance-enhancing drugs, reports the New York Times.
China claims the athletes inadvertently ate contaminated hotel food, a claim reiterated by Zhang.
“I don’t think any athlete, Chinese or non-Chinese, would want to destroy the work they built up every day over the years on doping,” Zhang said in Paris on Saturday (July 27) in the first public comments by a member of the Chinese swimming team at the centre of the doping scandal, reported the Times.
Zhang wins two medals
Zhang, who won gold in the 200-metre butterfly at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, claimed two medals in Paris on Saturday. She picked up bronze in the 100-metre butterfly—an event in which she won silver in Tokyo—and helped China finish third in the 4×100-metre women’s freestyle relay.
Zhang, Yang Junxuan, Cheng Yujie and Wu Qingfeng clocked a time of 3 minutes 30.30 seconds in the 4×100-metre, setting a new Asian record.
Australia, nevertheless, won the women’s relay, keeping the crown they won in Tokyo, the team made up of Emma McKeon, Mollie O’Callaghan, Meg Harris and Shayna Jack.
The United States came second, with Simone Manuel, Gretchen Walsh, Torri Huske and Kate Douglass making up the team.
Chinese men finish fourth
The Chinese women fared better than the men who, after a strong start, finished fourth in the 4×100-metre freestyle relay. The United States won gold, with Jack Alexy, Chris Guiliano, Hunter Armstrong and Caeleb Dressel on the team. Australia took silver and Italy bronze.
Pan Zhanle gave China a head start, chalking up 46.92 seconds in his leadoff split in the men’s relay, breaking the Olympic record for the men’s 100-metre freestyle. But the United States rallied and won the race in 3:09.28, retaining the crown they had won in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games and defended in Tokyo.
“My performance was not good enough. If I had created a greater advantage, we could have reached the podium,” said Pan, the world record holder in the 100-metre freestyle.
China’s Zhang Yufei said on Sunday that she was satisfied with her bronze medal in the women’s 100m butterfly at the Paris Olympics, her second podium finish in the event. #Paris2024pic.twitter.com/IDZAFQ2UYM
Zhang, meanwhile, faced the Americans Torri Husk and Grethen Walsh also in the 200-metre butterfly. Huske won the race, and Walsh finished second, pushing Zhang to third place.
Seen weeping after the award ceremony, Zhang said, “Perhaps I’ve pushed myself too hard.” She added, “I did feel a lot of pressure, but I also believe in my own abilities and look forward to competing against strong opponents next time.”
Her hometown fans consoled her. The hashtag “#YufeiDon’tCry” surged to the top of Weibo’s trending list. “Don’t cry, Yufei! We’re so proud of you. You’re really, really good,” one Weibo user commented.
China concern over large number of drug tests
China is worked up over the intensive drug testing of Chinese athletes following doping allegations.
Zhang told the Xinhua News Agency that in the two months before the Paris Olympics, every athlete on the Chinese swimming team was tested 20 to 30 times, averaging three to four tests per person per week.
Some suspect the tests are affecting the athletes.
“Something must have gone awry with the athletes’ pre-competition training. Personally, I believe that seven doping tests in one day might have disrupted our Chinese swimming team,” highly decorated Olympic diver Gao Min wrote on Weibo.
Zhang appeals for understanding
Zhang appealed for understanding in an Olympic poolside interview after advancing to the semi-finals of the 100-metre butterfly.
“Before last year, and before the scandal broke out, I got along really well with competitors from other countries. Now at this Olympics, I’m really worried that my good friends will look at me differently, that they would be unwilling to compete with me or watch me compete,” she said.
“I’m even more worried that the French public would think that Chinese athletes do not deserve to compete at this stage, so I feel very misunderstood.”
Chinese table tennis star gets 6 kg of gold and $525,000 for winning Olympic gold
After winning an amazing 6 kg of gold and $525,000 (RM2.32 million) in prize money in table tennis, China’s rising star Chen Meng is expected to be the highest-paid among the Chinese athletes who competed in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
With gold in the women’s singles and women’s team events, she had an incredible performance that earned her this substantial reward. According to China Business Daily, the majority of her bonus comes from real estate mogul Guo Bin, who is married to gold medallist Wang Nan from the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Guo Bin created news ahead of the women’s singles championship match when she promised the victor 6 kg of gold. Chen, 30, stepped up to the plate and won gold in the women’s singles and women’s team competitions at the last two Olympics, defeating her fellow countrywoman, Sun Yingsha.
Chen outperformed the top-seeded Sun in the 2024 Paris Olympics despite being the second seed competing. Her victory caps off an incredible career that included second-place finishes in the 2019 and 2023 World Championships and a victory in the 2020 Table Tennis World Cup.
Guo Bin and Wang Nan’s training centre fuels China’s historic sweep at Paris Olympics
Famous names in Chinese table tennis, Guo Bin, and Wang Nan, have made a major impact on the game by founding a top-notch training facility in Weihai City, Shandong province, which is frequently used by the national team.
China, displaying its supremacy, created history at the Paris Olympics by being the first country to win gold in all five table tennis categories: women’s singles, men’s singles, mixed doubles, men’s team, and women’s team. In the mixed doubles competition, which debuted at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, China lost to Japan surprisingly in the championship match.
‘Butterfly queen’ Zhang Yufei asks: Why question Chinese swimmers and not those from the West?
China’s most decorated Olympic swimmer Zhang Yufei with three Paris Olympics medals already in her bag didn’t mince words when an Australian reporter questioned the legitimacy of her male compatriot Pan Zhanle’s new world record. Pan’s success was the result of the hard work, she said. Why are questions raised about the Chinese and not those from Western countries, she asked.
Zhang was among the 23 Chinese swimmers allowed to compete in the Tokyo Games three years ago despite testing positive for a banned substance, the New York Times and German broadcaster ARD reported in April. The Chinese said they tested positive because they inadvertently ate contaminated hotel food. Since then they have undergone intensive drug tests to be eligible for the Games.
Medals for Zhang Yufei
Zhang, called the “butterfly queen’ in China, won bronze in the 200-metre butterfly in Paris on Thursday (August 1) despite suffering from fever and dysmenorrhea (painful periods or menstrual cramps), reported China’s Global Times. She had also won bronze in the 100-metre butterfly and the 4×100m-metre women’s freestyle relay, where China finished third behind Australia and the United States.
The 26-year-old said she was impressed with herself for being able to take part in the 200-metre butterfly despite her physical condition.
“I think this is probably one of the most difficult races I’ve had at these Olympics. I’m much better now, but when I was swimming my hands were a little bit numb because right now I am on my period and I was also in pain during the race,” she told the Xinhua News Agency.
Zhang is now the most decorated Olympic swimmer from China with seven medals from Tokyo and Paris. “I hope to use my performance to gain recognition for Chinese athletes, showing that we are not just a flash in the pan but can be as enduring as foreign athletes,” she said.
The Chinese swimming team has won one gold, two silvers and four bronzes in Paris – the gold won by Pan Zhanle, who broke the men’s 100-metre freestyle world record, on Wednesday (July 31).
Pan, 19, won the 100-metre men’s freestyle in 46.60 seconds, shaving 0.40 seconds off the mark he set at the world championships in Doha, Qatar, in February.
Some found Pan’s achievements “unbelievable”, said an Australian reporter at a press conference.
Zhang on Pan
Zhang replied that Pan’s success was the result of hard work and should not be viewed with scepticism.
“Pan had consistently swum under 47 seconds prior to achieving his new world record, indicating a stable and continuous improvement rather than a sudden leap in performance. Pan’s achievements were legitimate and attained under stringent anti-doping protocols,” said Zhang.
“Why are Chinese athletes questioned when they achieve fast times, yet no one doubted Michael Phelps when he won seven or eight gold medals? Similarly, Katie Ledecky has dominated long-distance swimming from 2012 to 2024, winning gold in every event, yet no one questioned her performances?” she added.
Chinese swimmers have undergone frequent doping tests, especially during the week leading up to the Paris Olympics, the Global Times reported.
Zhang told the Xinhua News Agency earlier that in the two months leading up to the Paris Olympics, every Chinese swimmer was tested 20 to 30 times, averaging three to four tests per person per week.
After winning the 100-metre freestyle on Wednesday, Pan said:”Last year, I underwent 29 tests, and not once did I test positive. This year, from May to July, I had 21 tests, and again, not a single positive result.”
Pan was not one of the swimmers named in the New York Times investigation.
In the women’s archery team competition on Sunday, South Korea defeated China to win the gold medal for the tenth time in a row. With this incredible success, the record for the longest winning streak for a country in a single Summer Olympics event is tied.
This accomplishment demonstrates South Korea’s continuous superiority at the Olympic level in addition to highlighting their dominance in women’s archery. The win was all the more thrilling because of the fierce rivalry from China.
Having led by two sets at the beginning, the South Korean trio of Jeon Hunyoung, Lim Sihyeon, and Nam Suhyeon gave an outstanding performance. On the other hand, the Chinese team produced a spectacular comeback that tied the game and set up an exciting finish.
With 29 of a possible 30 points, the Koreans won a thrilling shootout, narrowly defeating the Chinese squad, who managed 27 points. The Koreans showed remarkable ability and poise throughout. The aggressive nature and exceptional skill of both teams were on full display during this fierce match.
South Korea’s women’s team has won 10 gold medals in the Olympics since 1988
Since making its debut in the Seoul home games in 1988, South Korea has maintained an impressive undefeated record in the women’s team event. They are a strong force in the Olympic women’s events thanks to this incredible streak that demonstrates their supremacy and expertise.
During this time, South Korea has added to its history by winning 18 of the 19 Olympic women‘s competitions. Their unwavering work ethic and performance have cemented their place as a dominant force in women’s sports, serving as an inspiration to athletes across the globe.
The US men’s 4×100-meter medley swim team has won 10 team gold medals in a row, according to the Olympic press agency. In the final of the Paris Games on Sunday, the swimmers might advance one more spot on the 11th.
Paris Olympics: China’s billions vs US college sports
Government largesse made China an athletic powerhouse while collegiate sports keeps America a sporting superpower. The two countries, two systems, clashed at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and while both landed the same quantity of gold, the Americans were awash with more silver and bronze.
Yes, the Americans went home with a bigger haul in a virtual repeat of the Tokyo Olympics, where they won one more gold than the Chinese (39-38) and racked up a bigger medal tally (113-89).
Medal tally
China was leading in the gold haul in Paris until the final day when weightlifter Li Wenwen won the 40th gold medal for China with her victory in the women’s +81 kg. But the Americans caught up to China with two last-day golds — with Jennifer Valente’s victory in women’s cycling and a one-point win over France (67-66) in the women’s basketball final.
So, though China and the USA won 40 gold medals each, the Americans topped the standings for their superior medal tally—44 silver, 42 bronze, 126 medals in all—compared to the Chinese—27 silver, 24 bronze, 91 in all.
“China’s Olympic delegation at Paris 2024 achieved its best overseas performance since it comprehensively participated in a Summer Olympics abroad in 1984, said Zhou Jinqiang, deputy head of the delegation at a press conference held on Sunday,” reported China Daily.
“China’s sports delegation, consisting of 404 athletes competing in 232 events across 30 sports, clinched 40 gold, 27 silver and 24 bronze medals. The haul of gold medals surpassed the 39 golds won at the London Olympics, and a total of 60 athletes claimed golds, marking a new record for overseas Olympic participation, Zhou said.”
At Beijing 2008, China won 48 gold medals and 100 overall.
“You have won glory for our country and people, and we extend warm congratulations and heartfelt compliments to you,” read a message jointly sent by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council, China’s cabinet.
“Your outstanding achievements and performances have further ignited the patriotism of Chinese people both at home and abroad, uplifted the national spirit, and united the people towards progress,” added the message.
As the message shows, the Olympics are not just a sporting event but a means to boost Chinese morale and burnish the Chinese image abroad.
China’s billion-dollar sports budget
Karishma Vaswani wrote on Bloomberg: “China has long invested heavily to push its athletes to triumph against the West, as a way of highlighting the merits of the Communist Party. These Olympic Games are no different, but for one key aspect: Citizens are openly questioning why Beijing is spending so much money on a sporting event when many at home are facing bleak economic prospects.”
“China’s budget for sports this year stands at more than $1 billion,” she added. “Compare that to Australia, which also does pretty well in Olympic competitions, but last year only had around a quarter of that at its disposal. American athletes don’t get money from the government, instead they rely on a mix of private sponsorships, philanthropy, broadcast revenue and endorsements.”
The American way delivers great results, too, as the Paris Olympics showed.
How many Americans won medals?
The Washington Post noted: “The Americans won 126 medals, and because of team sports and relays, more than 40 per cent of the team’s delegation of nearly 600 athletes received at least one. Forty-four American athletes won multiple medals and 110 won at least one gold, with that large number stemming from the country’s success in team events.”
The Americans won team events like basketball, women’s gymnastics, men’s 4x400m relay, women’s 4x100m relay, women’s 4x400m relay, women’s 4x100m medley relay, men’s 4x100m freestyle relay, and mixed 4x100m medley relay.
The Chinese won team events such as the men’s 4x100m medley relay, group all-around rhythmic gymnastics, women’s synchronized diving, men’s synchronized diving, men’s artistic gymnastics, men’s and women’s canoe double, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles in badminton. As China Daily noted, 27 of the 40 gold medals won by China came from its six traditionally strong sports — diving, table tennis, badminton, gymnastics, shooting and weightlifting.
The US sporting world is very different. Athletes like sprinter Noah Lyles and basketballer Stephen Curry are celebrities. Their fame and fortune are hard-earned, honed by intensive training and the toughest competition.
US college sports system
As Britain’s two-time Olympic champion and World Athletics president Sebastian Coe, a legendary middle-distance runner, said, “U.S. track and field has a lot to owe to the college system.”
The New York Times says American Olympic officials “know that the American college sports system, which every year sustains and trains thousands of students in Olympic sports — both Americans and international students — is their golden goose.”
Indeed, American colleges and universities train not only American athletes. Top international athletes, too, like the swimmer Leon Marchand of France and the sprinter Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia, have been trained in America. Marchand was a member of the Arizona State University swim team, Alfred trained at the University of Texas.
The overwhelming majority of Olympic medals come from sports that have a presence on college campuses, says the Times.
No amount of government largesse, like the billions reportedly spent by China, has yet reduced the US college-trained athletes to also-rans. In fact, as the Paris Olympics showed, the latter still have an edge.
