The Sports Success of 2023: A Year of Triumphs and Inspirational Stories
Looking back again, it suddenly feels like a dream; looking back again, my heart is still the same; looking back again, I should be generous…
Every year at the end of the year, the melody of “Looking Back Again” will linger in our ears. When we look back, we are reminded of the splendid Hangzhou Asian Games, the youthful Chengdu Universiade, Kiptum’s figure running hard, and Qin Haiyang’s majestic figure cutting through the waves… In 2023, the world‘s sports world has brought us too much shock and emotion. It still feels like it was yesterday again.
Return to many exciting events
On the evening of April 15, the opening game of the 2023 Chinese Super League started at the Beijing Workers Stadium. 46,818 fans poured into the stadium to cheer for the team. This is also the official restoration of the home and away game system in the Chinese Super League after three years.
After experiencing the epidemic, it is not only the Chinese Super League that has returned, but also the successful hosting of a series of major competitions, such as the 2023 Women’s Football World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand, and the 2023 Men’s Basketball World Cup held in the Philippines. The major competitions held in our country include the Chengdu Universiade, Hangzhou Asian Games, Hefei Smart Games, Nanning Youth League, etc. These events have attracted many spectators to watch the games, and many games even have a hard-to-get ticket.
In addition, a variety of group events have allowed more ordinary people to achieve “zero distance” from sports. In particular, rural sports events represented by “Village BA” and “Village Super” have attracted people’s attention this year. hot spot. According to statistics, driven by the “Village BA”, Taijiang County received more than 2 million tourists in one year and achieved tourism revenue of more than 2.3 billion yuan.
Over the years, marathon fever has continued, and marathons of all sizes have once again exploded this year. On November 19th, according to incomplete statistics, there are 19 marathons across the country. Participating in “horse racing” during “marathon weekend” has become one of the most popular forms of exercise for ordinary people.
Glory to Chinese athletes with “big package”
In 2023, Chinese athletes have repeatedly achieved great results in competitions, especially in traditional advantageous events such as table tennis, diving, and weightlifting. The Chinese team continues to maintain its position as the world leader, which makes people lament the achievements of these “dream teams” in the sports world. unbeatable!
At the Chengdu Universiade, the Chinese sports delegation won 103 gold medals and 178 medals, ranking first in the gold medal list and medal list. At the Hangzhou Asian Games, the Chinese sports delegation won 201 gold medals and 383 medals, achieving the best results in the history of the Asian Games and ranking first in the Asian Games gold medal list for the 11th time in a row.
In many world championships, the Chinese team has performed equally well and is remarkable. At the 2023 World Table Tennis Championships in Durban, South Africa, the Chinese team won the championship in all five events of men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles, achieving this again after the 2019 World Table Tennis Championships in Budapest. A big sweep; at the World Swimming Championships held in Fukuoka, Japan, the Chinese team ranked first in the gold medal list with 20 gold medals, and won 12 out of 13 gold medals in the diving event; at the World Swimming Championships held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia At the weightlifting championships, the Chinese team won a total of 20 golds, 10 silvers and 3 bronzes, and 3 people broke 5 world records, demonstrating the “power of China”.
In addition, in the 2023 FIBA Women’s Basketball Asia Cup finals, the Chinese women’s basketball team defeated the Japanese women’s basketball team 73-71, winning the championship trophy again after 12 years, ending the past 5 years of the Japanese women’s basketball team. All the championships in this tournament. At the 2023 Sudirman Cup World Badminton Mixed Team Championship, the Chinese team defeated the South Korean team with a total score of 3-0, successfully defended the title, and won the championship for the third consecutive time. This series of excellent results is exciting and also Let us have more expectations for the performance of the Chinese sports delegation at next year’s Paris Olympics!
Break through them and dare to challenge the limits
On October 8, local time in the United States, at the Chicago Marathon, 23-year-old Kiptum from Kenya set a new men’s marathon world record and won the championship in 2 hours, 0 minutes and 35 seconds. He became the first person to win the Chicago Marathon. The marathon runner who broke 2 hours and 01 minutes in the official competition is just a stone’s throw away from the human dream of “breaking 2”.
Although there is a certain gap between the world‘s top levels, Chinese marathon runners are also working tirelessly to catch up. At the 2023 Wuxi Marathon on March 19 this year, He Jie crossed the line in 2 hours, 07 minutes and 30 seconds, breaking the national marathon record after 16 years. Nine months later, at the Fukuoka Marathon in Japan, Yang Shaohui broke this record again with a time of 2 hours, 07 minutes and 9 seconds. We have reason to believe that with a strong mass base, Chinese marathon athletes will run faster and faster.
Outside of the marathon, there are many sports teams and athletes who are challenging themselves and making breakthroughs. The Spanish women’s football team and the German men’s basketball team stood on the top podium for the first time in the 2023 Women’s World Cup and the 2023 Men’s Basketball World Cup respectively; in the 2022-2023 UEFA Champions League final, Manchester City defeated Inter Milan 1:0, making team history Won the Champions League trophy for the first time.
In the swimming pool, Qin Haiyang won three gold medals in the men’s 50-meter, 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke events at the Fukuoka World Swimming Championships in Japan, becoming the first athlete in history to win all three breaststroke gold medals at the same World Championships, breaking a new record He broke the men’s 200-meter breaststroke world record. He was also awarded the title of Best Male Swimmer by the World Swimming Federation for his outstanding performance in a series of competitions such as the Chengdu Universiade and the Hangzhou Asian Games. On the tennis court, Zheng Qinwen, Wang Xinyu, Chinese athletes such as Zhang Zhizhen and Wu Yibing all achieved personal best results. Zheng Qinwen also won the WTA Most Improved Player of the Year Award; in a brain competition, Ding Liren defeated Russian chess player Nebom in the 2023 FIDE Chess World Championship. Niach became the 17th world champion in the history of chess and the first world chess champion from China.
The legend that moved Qiu Ma continues
At the Hangzhou Asian Games, we met “Qiu Ma” again! This is the fifth time Chusovitina, a 48-year-old Uzbekistan veteran, has appeared on the Asian Games stage. Although she only finished fourth in the women’s vault competition, she won the warmest applause from the audience.
As the mother of a son suffering from leukemia, “Qiu Ma” has been competing in major competitions for a long time in order to raise money for her son’s treatment. Now that her son has recovered, she no longer needs to fight for a living, but “Qiu’s mother” is still nostalgic for the competition. “Age is just a number. I continue to compete not for livelihood, but because I love this sport. When When I came to the arena, I felt like a fish meeting water.” It is understood that “Qiu Ma”‘s next goal is the Paris Olympics, and this legend continues.
What was also touching was the hug given by Chinese athlete Zhang Yufei to Japanese athlete Rikako Ikee at the women’s 50-meter butterfly awards ceremony at the Hangzhou Asian Games. At the Asian Games in Jakarta five years ago, Chijiang Lihuazi won 6 gold medals and 2 silver medals. However, she was diagnosed with leukemia a year later. This talented girl suffered a heavy blow in her career, but she stood up bravely. And returned to the game and created a miracle.
As a disabled athlete, Wen Xiaoyan won four gold medals at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games, setting world records in three individual events and breaking Asian records in the relay event. The Chinese sports delegation finally won 214 gold medals and 521 medals, ranking first in the Asian Para Games gold medal list and medal list for the fourth time. The performance of these disabled athletes was touching.
[Editor in charge: Li Chen]