Chinese golfer Lin Xiyu expressed her immense joy at earning the women's golf bronze medal at the Paris Olympics on Saturday and shared her emotional journey to achieving victory in tough competition.
After becoming the second Chinese golfer to win an Olympic medal, following Feng Shanshan's success at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Lin showed her satisfaction with her performance in Paris.
"I feel quite amazing. I knew I had a chance today, but I knew it was going to be a very tough battle. I didn't have the best start I was asked for, so I'm very proud of myself for the way I fought back in the end. It's good enough to win a medal, and that's even better. So I am overwhelmed right now," Lin said in an interview after her win.
Lin moved up four places in the final 18 holes of the competition, attributing her success to staying consistent despite a slow start. She acknowledged the difficulty of the game but she battled back in the final round and secure the third place.
"I was a little disappointed when I saw I was so far behind. But then I said to myself that I've been playing very consistently all week, and I think, on the back nine, that consistency is going to be a very good weapon. So I just needed to keep doing what I've been doing. I also stopped looking at the scoreboard. I just wanted to play my own golf. I have a good game plan, I executed it really well, and then it ended up being good enough to give me a medal," said the Chinese golfer.
Lin also revealed that she learned a lot from Feng, the first Chinese golfer standing on the Olympic podium, and shared their memorable conversation before Lin left for Paris this summer.
"I got to talk to Shanshan right before I left for Paris. I was explaining my anxiety and said, 'I don't know what to expect here.' Then she just asked me one question, said, 'If this is your third Olympics or last Olympics, what kind of finish you think you'll be satisfied with yourself?' And I thought about it and said, 'Well, a medal, of course.' And then she said, 'Then that's the goal. We have nothing to lose. We have to keep grinding it out.' Nothing is going to be in the way when I am fully focused on this target, and I think that was a really important conversation," said Lin.
Chinese golfer Lin Xiyu expresses joy after winning bronze at Paris Olympics
Grassroots officials and students who teamed up with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the voluntary tree planting activity in Beijing on Thursday morning said afterwards they would commit more energy to protecting their country's natural heritage and greening efforts.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, was accompanied by other Party and state leaders as they joined residents and local officials on the bank of the Yongding River in Beijing’s Fengtai District to plant saplings.
Xi waved to the crowd as he arrived at the site before picking up a shovel to help plant saplings of several different types of tree.
Xi took time to ask students from local schools about their studies, life and participation in labor and sports.
"We came here today to participate in this tree planting activity. What surprised us was that President Xi also took part. He worked alongside us, digging and building up the soil around the saplings. He has always been concerned about our lives and studies, and he encouraged us to work and study hard," said Lyu Shuochen, a student from the Fifth Primary School in Fengtai District.
"President Xi is very knowledgeable and understanding. He also encouraged us plant more trees to improve the air quality and the environment," said Gu Weichen, another student from the school.
During the event, Xi also talked with local grassroots officials, discussing the importance of preserving the nation's natural heritage.
"Every year, [the general secretary] takes part in the tree planting activity in the capital. He shovels the soil and waters the trees, which are truly touching. As environmental builders, we are determined to work together to make areas along the Yongding River greener and make the water clearer, so that local people can safely enjoy the riverside and truly understand the significance of ecological preservation," said Ding Hongwei, deputy director of the Fengtai District Yongding River Management Office.
"For us, participating in the tree planting activity with the general secretary is a vivid practical lesson in grassroots governance. Today, the general secretary also stressed that [environmental efforts should focus on] improving quality, boosting industry and benefiting the people. For us as community workers, it means we must deeply engage in the grassroots affairs. We need to strive for growth and do practical things to provide support for the residents and the people around us," said Qian Cheng, Party secretary of Tianlun Jincheng community in Beijing's Fengtai District.
"In addition to building the capital into a garden city, we also integrate the concept of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature into our daily life and work. We hope to create a better environment for everyone," said Lin Qiaoling, a Party committee member in Caoqiao Village, Yuquanying Subdistrict in Fengtai District.
Encouraged by Xi, the environmental champions at the site pledged to actively engage in public welfare activities, joining forces to contribute to the building of a Beautiful China and making the country even greener.
"President Xi told us while we were watering the saplings that watering the trees is like nurturing us children. I will follow what President Xi said. I want to become a teacher to educate and nurture others, and sow the seeds for them to grow their talents," said Wang Nanbixuan, another student from the school.
"As a primary school student in the capital, I am committed to planting more trees, working harder, and adding more green spaces to make our capital even more beautiful," said Chang Yuyang, another student from the school.
"With the personal involvement and leadership of the general secretary, the greening efforts in the capital will reach a new level, and citizens will be able to more directly enjoy the results of ecological civilization development," said Ding.
"As the general secretary said, we will continue working, one generation after another, to improve the greening efforts for the people, and contribute our own strength to ecological preservation in the capital and the whole country," said Lin.
Planting trees with President Xi inspires new generation of environmental champions
