A gold medal winner in taekwondo's 58-kilogram division at Rio 2016 and the Chinese flag bearer in the Tokyo Olympics' opening ceremony, Zhao Shuai returned to the podium in the postponed Games on Sunday after claiming bronze in the 68-kilogram category.

"Since there were no spectators in the stadium, I could feel the difference between the two Olympics," said Zhao. "And even though I moved up from 58 to 68 kilograms, the goal that remains in my mind is to constantly challenge myself."

Last Friday's opening ceremony saw Zhao become China's first taekwondo athlete to serve as the country's Olympic flag bearer after previously doing so at the 2019 Jakarta Asian Games. He said he feels grateful for the opportunity to march at the head of the national delegation in Tokyo.

"It is my honor to bear the flag along with Zhu Ting, and I feel thankful for the trust given to me and the event of taekwondo. As the flag bearer, I held my head high while seeing China's flag on the big screen, and that trust motivates me to keep fighting to win glory for our country," the men's taekwondo 68 kg bronze medalist said.

Zhao beat South Korea's Lee Dae-Hoon in the bronze medal match to end his Olympic journey in Tokyo, but that only fuels the hunger of China's most successful taekwondo athlete to match his gold from Rio 2016, as he turns his focus to the next Games.

"I will spare no effort to prepare for 2024, but the campaign here just ended, and I will start from zero," he said.

In the meantime, Zhao's immediate plans revolve around returning to his team after conducting interviews under the IOC's pandemic protocols and cheering on his girlfriend Zheng Shuyin and the rest of the Chinese squad as the Olympic taekwondo action continues.