02:49
We head over to Doha now where team China's prep for the 2018 Artistic Gymnastic World Championships has concluded. The event, which started yesterday, is a chance to automatically qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and CGTN's Zhu Xuesong was there to check in on training.
Jumping, rotating and tumbling precisely on the apparatus -- every motion performed by the Chinese male gymnasts thrills the spectators to no end. While many countries took a relaxed approach, China was all business and cranked out full routines exactly as they planned to do in any competition. The team was particularly impressive on the Parallel Bars, where defending world Champion Zou Jingyuan was picture perfect. Reigning world all-around champion Xiao Ruoteng also looked very sharp and now the team leader, Ye Zhennan, wants them to build on their progress.
YE ZHENNAN CHINA TEAM LEADER "We have focused more on the preparation for Tokyo 2020. This year's world championships have granted us with an opportunity to build our team work and train team members' mental qualities. We hope our gymnasts can perform better to make it a more ambitious team, which is the target of our participation in this year's worlds."
Chinese female gymnasts also finished their full routines evenly, except for Liu Tingting who fell from the uneven bars while Zhang Jin and Chen Yile also failed in their dismounts from the balance beam. With the guidance from head coach, Liang Chow, they worked on their beam routine again and performed solidly.
ZHU XUESONG DOHA "Only two female gymnasts on the Chinese team have competed at the Worlds before, making this a rather inexperienced group. However, with most of the team members having their only major international experience at the 2018 Asian Games, China should fare well."
LIANG CHOW CHINA WOMEN'S HEAD COACH "From the pick-test until today, all the members have showed their aspiration. There are some mistakes in today's podium training and this is not beyond our expectation, since this is a very young team whose spirits are rising. It takes days before the qualification competition to get started. We will attack the technique problems steadily and systematically."
Even if this is a new squad, the Chinese women's team is contending for multiple medals in Doha. China finished second to the United States at the 2014 and 2015 World Championships, and claimed a bronze in Rio, and a team medal next week would mean automatic team qualification to Tokyo. Zhu Xuesong, CGTN, Doha.