200m Asian record holder Xie Zhenye aims for medal in his third Games

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Last year, Chinese sprinter Xie Zhenye set the Asian record in the men's 200 meter at 19.88 seconds, making the 26-year-old the first Asian to break the 20-second barrier. Xie's breakout season saw him rank sixth in the Men's 200 meter in the IAAF annual standings, and he will be aiming for a medal at the postponed 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.

At the 2019 IAAF World Championships, Xie competed in the Men's 100 meter, 200 meter, and 4 x 100-meter Relay. In the relay, the Zhejiang native and compatriot Su Bingtian helped to beat the national record, and Xie became the first Chinese to take part in the Men's 200-meter finals at the World Championships, going on to finish seventh.

Marvin Bracy of the United States, Ben Youssef Meite of the Ivory Coast and Xie Zhenye of China compete in the Men's 100 meter semifinal on Day 9 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 14, 2016. /VCG

The IAAF Diamond League meeting in London last July was the highlight of his career. Xie won the Men's 200 meter in 19.88 seconds to break Qatar's Femi Ogunode's record. Xie trained overseas in Florida during the winter and returned to China on March 20th. After a 28-day quarantine in Qinhuangdao, he is now training at Beijing Sports University.

The Tokyo Olympics will be his third Olympics, and he has qualified for the Men's 100 meter, 200 meter, and 4 x 100-meter Relay. Xie hopes to make it to the final in all three events and earn a place on the podium for the first time.

Xie Zhenye and his teammate Su Bingtian compete with Christian Coleman of USA and his teammate Tyson Gay at the Men's 4 x 100m Relay Round 1 during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 18, 2016. /VCG

"Every athlete wants to earn medals, see their national flag raised, and hear their anthem at the Olympics, and I am no exception," said Xie. "Maybe it is a really high target for me to win the Olympic gold, and the challenge is really hard, but I believe that I must set goals because they might someday come true."

"If I don't have confidence, how can I achieve anything? I think the process of chasing dreams is very important, and I will try my best not to have any regrets at the Tokyo Summer Olympics."