🎉 The National Athletics Championships wrapped up last night at the Quzhou Sports Center in Zhejiang, and it was nothing short of electrifying! 🚀
Xu Zhuoyi from Shanghai stole the spotlight, clinching his first national championship title in the men's 110m hurdles. 🏆
Xu, who reached the semifinals at the Paris Olympics, was up against some fierce competition. Lined up in lane 6, he faced off against 18-year-old rising star Chen Yuanjiang in lane 4, who had just set a personal best in the semifinals. Defending champion Zhu Shenglong from Hubei held lane 5, making the race a thrilling showdown! 🏃♂️💨
When the starting gun fired, Zhu was the quickest off the blocks. After the first three hurdles, Liu Junxi from Jiangsu in lane 8 began to surge ahead. But in an epic finish, Xu unleashed an incredible burst of speed, overtaking everyone to cross the finish line first with a time of 13.31 seconds! ⚡
Liu clinched second place with 13.41 seconds, while Chen grabbed third with 13.49 seconds, earning his first medal in a senior national championship. 🥈🥉
After the race, Xu shared, \"The result of today's race was within my expectations. During the pre-race warm-up, there was a minor incident—my ankle suddenly started hurting. I managed to deal with it in time, so it didn't have much of an impact. The race went on as usual, and my plans weren't disrupted. Since returning from the Paris Olympics, I haven't been training systematically and prepared for the race in a half-adjusted, half-practicing way.\"
He added, \"I think the result of 13.31 seconds is acceptable. I had hoped to finish in 13.27 seconds to qualify for the World Championships next year, but given that I haven't been training properly, I feel the result is still acceptable.\"
Xu's victory marks a significant milestone in his athletic career and sets the stage for an exciting season ahead. We can't wait to see what he brings to the track next! 🏅✨
Reference(s):
Xu, Wu win hurdles titles at National Athletics Championships
cgtn.com
