After five years of undefeated pairing, Xu Shixiao and Sun Mengya retain the gold medal in the women's double kayak 500m
2024-08-10
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On the afternoon of August 9th, Beijing time, the Paris Olympic Games canoeing still water event continued. The Tokyo Olympic champions, the Chinese combination Xu Shixiao/Sun Mengya, performed stably and won the gold medal in the women's double canoe 500m final with a time of 1 minute 52.81 seconds, creating the best Olympic result in this event.
Xu Shixiao/Sun Mengya have won the Canoe Still Water World Championships three times. As gold medalists in this event at the Tokyo Olympics, before setting off for the Olympics, both of them expressed their determination to defend their title at the Paris Olympics.
At this Olympics, the Chinese team has qualified for all 10 Paris Olympic canoeing still water events. Among them, the women's double canoe 500 meters is considered the most competitive event. The Chinese combination of Xu Shixiao and Sun Mengya have created an undefeated record in world championships since they paired up in 2019.
The 32-year-old Xu Shixiao is participating in the Olympics for the second time. After women's rowing became an official event of the Olympics in 2017, Xu Shixiao, who had been away from the arena for 4 years, resolutely made a comeback for her Olympic dream. She partnered with Sun Mengya, who is 9 years younger than her, and won the championship in this event at the Tokyo Olympics.
Logically, one can retire after achieving the Olympic dream, but Xu Shixiao is reluctant to part with Sun Mengya, a nearly perfect combination. She said: "After the Tokyo Olympics, I can retire, but I want to make my life more complete. It's not easy to meet a good partner. I hope that my partner and I can become the first female canoeist to win two consecutive Olympic championships."
This belief supports Xu Shixiao and Sun Mengya to continue rowing. It is said that it is difficult to conquer a country, but it is even more difficult to defend it. Xu Shixiao deeply agrees with this. "During the Tokyo Olympics, we were in a state of catching up. Now, we are in a state of being chased. In fact, there will be some changes in our mentality." Sun Mengya holds a similar view, "If we think that we have won the championship and there is no problem, then this is the most dangerous time."
Since the first World Championships in 2019, the Chinese combination has been invincible in world competitions. However, in the new Olympic cycle, they clearly felt the pressure from their opponents. In the 2023 World Championships final, the Spanish team performed well in the first half and was ahead of the Chinese team. The Chinese combination struggled to catch up, and began to keep pace with their opponents in the second half. In the end, the two boats crossed the finish line almost at the same time. After the sprint, Xu Shixiao and Sun Mengya lost their balance and fell into the water. Until this time, Xu Shixiao and Sun Mengya did not know whether they had won the game. The tournament timing showed that China won the championship with a slight advantage of 0.141 seconds.
Sun Mengya was somewhat frightened at the time. She recalled: "When we were 300 meters behind, we were still behind. We thought it was over." Xu Shixiao knew that the Chinese team's advantage was not in the first half, but she was also surprised by the situation. "I really didn't expect to be suppressed like this in the first half, and the opponent was so fierce until the sprint."
This game sounded a wake-up call for the two. In the Tokyo Olympics and many world competitions, the Chinese team often won the championship easily with a lead of 2 seconds. At present, the gap seems to be negligible. Xu Shixiao faced this reality. She said: "It's not that we haven't made progress, but the progress of our opponents, that is, the progress of other countries, is much faster than we imagined."
Zhou Huan Design
To this end, the two focused on strength training during winter training, often fighting to exhaustion. In May 2024, Xu Shixiao/Sun Mengya won consecutive gold medals at the Canoeing Stillwater World Cup in Szeged and Poznan, Hungary, once again demonstrating their advantage in this event. They are still the strongest women's double canoeing combination on the planet.
Xu Shixiao will retire after this Olympics. She hopes to put a perfect end to her career. Both of them want to become the first canoeists to win two consecutive Olympic championships in Paris. Before leaving for Paris, Xu Shixiao and Sun Mengya promised to the camera: "Please always believe in the Chinese team and the Chinese canoeing team."
Now, both of them have done it. They continue to be invincible, extending their five-year unbeaten streak and creating new history.
The Paper reporter Chen Jun
(This article is from The Paper. For more original information, please download the "The Paper" APP)
