Olympic champion Gong Lijiao won her fourth straight women's shot put title at China's National Games in Xi'an City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, on Monday, becoming the first Chinese track and field athlete to score four back-to-back wins at the event, which are held only every four years.
Gong, who delivered her country's first gold in field events at the Tokyo Olympics last month, recorded a throw of 19.88 meters in her fourth attempt to seal her victory.
Her teammate Song Jiayuan from Shanghai took the silver with 19.76 meters, with the bronze going to Zhang Linru from Hebei.
"I have not trained systematically after the (Tokyo) Olympic Games, I didn't throw beyond 20m today, and I felt a little disappointed with it," Gong, 32, said after her win, although she was proud of her performance.
"Winning four championship titles in a row is great. I hope there will be a fifth," she said.
"I think it has proved my dominance in the sport. Today (teammate) Song Jiayuan performed really well. I hope there are others who can take my place when I retire," Gong added in a post-match interview.
Gong's coach Li Meisu noted: "It was really difficult for her to persevere in this sport."
"All these years, her dream was to win gold at the Olympics. Now she has finally realized that dream, I hope she can achieve more."
Song Jiayuan in action during the women's shot put final at China's National Games in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, northwest China, September 20, 2021. /CFP
Song, 24, set a personal best of 19.76m in her fifth attempt, which put some pressure on event favorite Gong before the competition was rounded out, with each shot putter completing six attempts.
"It's the first time I felt pressure at the national games. I think it's a good thing for China's athletics since we need more talented young players like Song," Gong said.
Song ranked fifth at the Tokyo Olympics with 19.14m.
After throwing her personal best twice to win her first Olympic gold medal in Tokyo, Gong is now looking forward to her fifth Olympics three years from now in Paris.
"I waited five years for Tokyo 2020. There are just three years away from Paris 2024, and I want to be there," she said.
Athletes during the men's 100m qualification race at China's National Games in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, northwest China, September 20, 2021. /CFP
Meanwhile, star sprinter Su Bingtian made easy work of qualification for the men's 100m final on Tuesday in his quest to dethrone defending champion Xie Zhenye, who claimed the sprint double in 2017.
"It is no doubt that he is at his peak, but it'll be very fun for me to challenge him," Xie said.
Su, the first Chinese to qualify for an Olympic men's 100m final in Tokyo, crossed the finish line in 10.05 seconds in the semifinal on Tuesday. Thousands of spectators were inside the Xi'an Olympic Center Stadium to cheer for the 32-year-old Olympic hero.
"I am at my best. I was competing against myself, just like I did in Tokyo. I hope I can break the 10-second barrier in the final," Su said.
Su Bingtian (L) and Xie Zhenye (R) during the race in the men's 100m qualifier, at China's National Games in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, northwest China, September 20, 2021. /CFP
Although he is the holder of the Asian 100m record – 9.83 seconds – Su has never won at the National Games, finishing instead as the runner-up twice, in 2013 and 2017.
"Of course, my goal is to win the gold, but I think it will be the most competitive final in the history of the National Games, and I have to stay very concentrated," he said.
On Monday, 2012 Olympic champion in the men's 20km race walking, Chen Ding, announced his retirement after finishing fifth at the Xi'an games. At the London Olympics, he became only the second Chinese male athlete to win Olympic track and field gold, after hurdler Liu Xiang.
CGTN Sports Scene's Mike Fox contributed to this story.
(With input from Xinhua)