Su Bingtian looks forward to Chinese sprinters' performance in Paris

China's ace sprinter Su Bingtian has arrived in Paris. Though he won't participate in the ongoing 2024 Summer Olympic Games in the French capital, he has been following the Chinese track and field time closely.

"First of all, I wish the Chinese track and field team a safe competition because from preparation to qualification, everyone has put in a lot of hard work," Su told CGTN Sports Scene's Jiang Mengxi. "I worry about anyone getting hurt before the competition, especially after I saw the news a short time ago when Li Ling, a pole vault veteran, got injured just before the Games and had to pull out from Paris. I feel particularly sad for her because we have been friends for a long time, and our ages are similar, so I especially hope that Chinese veterans can make their last stand in the field."

Three years ago, Su, Xie Zhenye, Tang Xingqiang and Wu Zhiqiang secured the men's 4x100-meter relay bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Though Su will not race in Paris, he is confident in the new Chinese runners in surpassing the veterans.

"This year there is definitely more attention on sprints, because we have entered the stage of new and old since last year, and we can see that in this year's Chinese sprint team," Su said. "There are many young runners who are also creating very good results and are surpassing us. I hope they will be able to show their talents at the Paris Olympic Games this year, and our hard-won success in sprinting will continue to be extended."

Su, who turns 35 in late August, revealed that he will not compete at another Olympic Games.

"I am definitely not able to compete at the Olympic Games again," He said. "I am now giving myself some recovery time and I hope that if before this year's winter training in December my body can recover to the normal training level through systematic training, that I will be able to run in next year's National Games."