Gold medalist Qieyang Shijie of women's 20km race walk at the 2012 London Olympic Games reacts during the Olympic Medal Reallocation Ceremony in Hangzhou on Oct. 4, 2023. (Xinhua/Sun Fei)
Chinese athletes received their long-awaited Olympic medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
HANGZHOU, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese race walkers Qieyang Shijie, Liu Hong and Lyu Xiuzhi as well as men's 4X100 meters relay team received their reallocated Olympic medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games here on Wednesday.
The medal reallocation ceremony was held in the Hangzhou Olympic Center Stadium, the venue for athletics competition of the 19th Asiad.
The 32-year-old Qieyang, who just grabbed a 35km race walk mixed team gold medal at the Asiad on Wednesday morning, was given the gold medal of women's 20km race walk at 2012 London Olympic Games after the original top two athletes had been stripped of their medals for doping successively. The fifth finisher in that race was also disqualified for doping.
China's Liu and Lyu, originally ranked fourth and sixth in London, were given the silver and bronze accordingly.
Lyu Xiuzhi, Liu Hong and Qieyang Shijie (L to R) pose for photos. (Xinhua/Jiang Wenyao)
"11 years have passed and all of us three are still in this sport. I hope our story can inspire young athletes," said Qieyang, who burst into tears with mixed feelings. "(Apart from the joy), there are more regrets in my heart. How wonderful it would have been if we could get our medals 11 years ago at the Olympics."
The Chinese quartet of Su Bingtian, Xie Zhenye, Tang Xingqiang and Wu Zhiqiang received the bronze medals for men's 4X100m relay at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021, as Britain's relay team was stripped of the Olympic medal due to Chijindu Ujah's doping offense.
The foursome originally finished fourth in Tokyo in 37.79 seconds on Aug. 6, 2021, while Britain took the silver medal.
Bronze medalists Wu Zhiqiang, Su Bingtian, Xie Zhenye and Tang Xingqiang (L to R) of the men's 4x100m relay at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games attend the Olympic Medal Reallocation Ceremony in Hangzhou on Oct. 4, 2023. (Xinhua/Sun Fei)
"The bronze medal is a milestone for us four. And it is also a starting point for all the young sprinters in China, and a target for them to pursue. After all, a milestone is bound to be passed by," said Xie, who took the men's 100m gold and helped China win the 4x100m relay title in Hangzhou.
"Although the medal is reallocated to us and we did not have the chance to receive it during the Olympic Games, it can be seen as a spur for us," said Su, the Asian men's 100m record holder.
"We need to work harder in our training, and hopefully in Paris or future Olympic Games, Chinese sprinters can earn the chance to win an Olympic medal on site," he added. ■
