Chinese gymnast Liu Yang told China Media Group (CMG) about his joy at winning an individual gold medal in the rings event at the Paris 2024 Olympics and his disappointment at Team China being pipped to the team gold by Japan.
Liu, the defending champion who took gold at Tokyo 2020, secured China's first gymnastics gold medal of the 2024 Paris Olympics on Aug. 4 when he led all the way to win the men's rings event.
However, the greatest wish for the 30-year-old veteran was to claim gold in the men's gymnastics team event.
"The gold medal on rings was also one of my goals, but the bigger goal was the team championship," said Liu.
The Chinese men's gymnastics team has long been a powerhouse in the world of gymnastics. Since 1983, they have won the team events at the World Championships and the Olympic Games 16 times. However, after winning the men's gymnastics team gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, the team fell into a slump, securing only bronze medals in the next two Olympic Games. Winning the team gold medal at the Paris Olympics had become the most pressing goal for every member of the Chinese men's gymnastics team.
On a whiteboard at their training base in Beijing, the team members wrote "treat every training day like competition day" and "show your fighting spirit" to inspire themselves while preparing for Paris 2024.
In the late hours of July 29 in Paris, the Chinese team, composed of Zhang Boheng, Xiao Ruoteng, Zou Jingyuan, Liu Yang, and Su Weide, competed against the Japanese team for the gold medal. Despite holding a significant lead, the team made successive mistakes in the horizontal bar event, ultimately securing the silver medal.
Missing out on the gold was a painful moment for each member of the team, especially for Liu, who is unlikely to attend the next Summer Olympic Games.
"Winning the team gold medal is a significant achievement for the entire team and all of our teammates because it represents the overall level of Chinese gymnastics. After the final result was announced, I couldn't control my emotions and cried. Considering my age, it's very likely that I won't have another chance at the Olympics. I feel that this was probably the closest opportunity in my life," he said.
Despite the big blow and mounting pressure, Liu was determined to win the men's rings event. He remembered the night before the final competition took place.
"Lying in bed, I couldn't fall asleep; I lay there for two or three hours before finally drifting off. There's definitely pressure, especially after not winning the team championship, the pressure in the individual events was even greater. But for me, at my age, competing is more about relying on experience. I know exactly what I need to practice each day, almost down to every hour and every minute. It's essential to have my plan well-organized. For me, this is a must. When I have my time well-organized, I have plenty of time to deal with any unexpected changes," said Liu.
The defending champion scored 15.300 points to lead a 1-2 finish for China in the event, with his compatriot Zou Jingyuan taking silver with 15.233, ahead of Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist Eleftherios Petrounias of Greece, who posted 15.100.
China's gymnastics gold medalist rues missing out on team championship goal
