Sixteen of the 50 athletics gold medals will come from the field events such as the discus throw and the shotput in the coming World University Games in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Of the 90 Chinese athletes for the sport, about a third will participate in the field competitions.

A pair of twin brothers, Xing Jiadong and Xing Jialiang, from north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, will compete in the men's discus throw and the men's shot put events, respectively, at the Chengdu Universiade.

In his daily practice, Xing Jiadong throws a 4-kilogram object 40 to 60 times per session. Xing Jialiang does the same with a 9-kilogram object. The overloading power training aside, the two have also been working on refining the details of their moves, something they have been helping each other since they were children.

"When my brother is practicing by himself, he can't see what his moves are like and may neglect the mistakes," Xing Jialiang told China Media Group (CMG). "I often practice with him and study the videos of his work to help him improve his skills."

Xing Jiadong has benefited a lot from his brother's help. In 2018, he won the high school 1.75-kilogram discus throw gold medal in the national athletics championships of China and set a new domestic record in the event with 54.45 meters.

"We help each other, support each other and motivate each other," Xing Jiadong told CMG. "We make progress together; that's what matters."

The two got accepted to attend Peking University in 2020. Xing Jiadong went to Peking University Law School, while Xing Jialiang attended the School of Journalism and Communication. One of the major challenges for them was how to balance school work and sports training. They supervised each other in implementing their full schedules daily and urged each other to improve. Some may find their lives tiresome, but the twins enjoyed themselves.

"To me, sport is something I do not just for these years, but for my whole life," Xing Jiadong said. "It will continue to be part of my life even after I retire. We will continue to work on building a stronger body and a better mindset. It's a good sport."

(Cover photo: Xing Jiadong (L) and Xing Jialiang of the Chinese athletics team for the Chengdu World University Games. /China Media Group)