XI'AN, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese sprinter Chen Guanfeng lowered his personal best twice, winning the men's 60m at the 2023 Chinese National Athletics Indoor Invitational in Xi'an in 6.60 seconds on Saturday.
Tang Xingqiang, a member of China's 4x100m relay team that took bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, only clocked 6.83 seconds in his first round, failing to reach the final after finishing in 16th place. The fastest sprinter in the first round was Chen, who clocked 6.67 seconds.
In the final round, the 23-year-old Guangdong runner celebrated the victory by pointing at the timing plate, even before he crossed the finish line, with spectators cheering his achievement.
"In fact, I could have had the result in 2021 or 2022. Many indoor competitions were cancelled amid the pandemic. Today's personal best is my normal level," Chen told Xinhua.
In the women's 60m, Yuan Qiqi of Jiangsu Ironman took first place in 7.32 seconds, Ma Huixin finished second, 0.03 seconds adrift, while local athlete Feng Lulu took the bronze medal after clocking 7.38 seconds.
"I am satisfied with my performance today," Feng said. The sprinter will join up with China's national athletics team and train in the United States from the end of this month, preparing for the upcoming World Championships in Budapest and the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
In the women's shot put, Ma Yue of Hebei pocketed the gold medal with a throw of 18.36m. In the men's category, Chen Jian of Xinjiang threw furthest with 19.02m.
In Saturday's other events, Zhou Haowen of Hebei (men's 400m), Guangdong's Kong Yingying (women's 400m), Jiao Xinping of Henan (men's long jump), Jiangxi's Zhong Jiawei (women's long jump), and Huang Jiali of Xi'an Physical Education Institute (women's pole vault) all triumphed in their various disciplines.
The 2023 Chinese National Athletics Indoor Invitational ends on Sunday. ■
