China's two-time Taekwondo Olympic champion Wu Jingyu said she looks forward to showing the world that she can take on challenges many others dare not as to next year's Tokyo Olympic Games. 

"I think a great athlete doesn't want to leave the field. I think it's a very proud thing to continue," the 33-year-old Wu said in an interview with CGTN Sports Scene's anchor Wang Dong on Tuesday. 

The Jiangxi native who turned 33 on Monday secured her spot for next year's Tokyo Olympics after finishing as runner-up in women's under-49kg category final at last year's World Taekwondo Grand Prix Final in Moscow. 

"Many of my competitors were wondering if I can qualify (for the Tokyo Olympics)?" said Wu."They always thought I couldn't get in. For me, to play 11 games in a row is as tough as the Olympics. And I think it's indeed really hard to qualify."

Wu claimed her first Olympic gold medal (-49kg class) in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and defended her title in London four years later. As of now, winning a medal may not be her number one goal. "I just wanted to show the world that I can take on challenges many others dare not," said Wu.

Wu said age no longer bothers her. "I've been training really hard so I always feel that I'm as good as the younger ones on the court. I'm even smarter."

Meanwhile, the 2006 Doha Asian Games champion also shared her plans for the future. 

"After next year's Tokyo Games, I may continue to compete at the World Championships or Asian Games if I still feel like it." As the first Chinese member of the Athletes' Committee of the World Taekwondo Federation, Wu will continue to serve the sports' world governing body if she decides to retire afterwards.

(Cover image: Chinese Wu Jingyu fights with Serbia's Tijana Bogdanovic in Women's -49kg category bout during the 2019 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Final, at the Dynamo Sports Palace in Moscow, Russia, December 7, 2019. /VCG)