CHENGDU, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- After claiming a convincing win over her opponents in the women's four preliminary of rowing on Friday, smile appeared on Liu Xiaoxin's face.
"All of my teammates come from different colleges," said Liu from China's Shandong Sport University, adding that they had the same goal of winning the title at the Chengdu Universiade, whose three-day rowing tournament will produce a total of 15 golds on Sunday.
Apart from competition, the sport of rowing also serves as a bond for youths around the world.
Pieter Van Veen from Utrecht University of the Netherlands introduced that the atmosphere and environment gave him a very good impression on the Games and the city of Chengdu.
"It's beautiful here, and I like the views and buildings. All things are very organized at the Universiade," he said.
Rowing, which boasts a history of over two hundred years, has been attracting more and more youngsters to participate in.
"This is my seventh year to practice rowing," said Van Veen, adding that the Netherlands has many rowing clubs for students.
In 2021, the Chinese Rowing Association set a target of engaging 100 million people in the rowing sports.
"I have three athletes among the 46 who had never participated in rowing before," said He Yi, coach of Chinese rowing team.
He, also a rowing instructor from Shanghai Lixin University of Accounting and Finance, competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
According to him, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Fudan University, Tongji University and many other universities have been setting up their own rowing teams for students for several years.
"Our members have been training together for just about a month," said Wen Xu, deputy manager of the Chinese rowing team, adding that the 46 athletes come from 24 universities across China.
Rowing is the only water sport in which athletes row backwards towards the finishing line, as athletes pull the oars fixed to the frame backwards to move the boat forward.
"Rowing can not only show the beauty of one's individuality, but also shape teamwork," said Wen. ■
