Chinese duo Xing Song and Li Qiang won the men’s C2 500 meters race at the ongoing ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Szeged, Hungary.
They finished more than one second ahead of their nearest rivals from Hungary and Spain.
This is the first time that the Chinese have won a gold medal at the world championships.
Although no longer an Olympic event in 2022 Tokyo, Xing and Song can still prepare themselves for the men’s C2 1,000m event in the Tokyo Olympics.
“We’ve been doing a lot of training for these world championships, this is a good start for our Chinese team. Our goal is a medal in Tokyo in the C2 1,000m event,” said Xing
China's gold medallists Xing Song (R) and Li Qiang at the awards ceremony for the men's canoe double sprint 200m competition at the 2018 Asian Games in Palembang, Indonesia, September 1, 2018. /VCG Photo
China has established itself as a world power in the canoe disciplines, especially in team boats.
Men’s C2 500-meter event used to be a strong event for China. Meng Guanlang and Yang Wenjun won the gold medal of this event in 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games.
(Cover image from ICF official website )