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"Five Olympic Games, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... They are more or less perfect, but also more or less regrettable."

The Paris Olympics was the fifth Olympic Games that Chinese female shot putter Gong Lijiao participated in. After finishing the competition with fifth place, Gong Lijiao walked into the mixed interview area and said this.

Before leaving for the Paris Olympics, people were talking about Gong Lijiao's hard work as a "five-time veteran". She has participated in five consecutive Olympic Games since the 2008 Beijing Olympics, winning bronze at the Beijing Olympics, silver at the London Olympics, fourth at the Rio Olympics, and gold at the Tokyo Olympics. In the Paris Olympics, she ranked fifth.

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5..." The numbers are cold, but the stories of struggle and fighting spirit behind them are hot. Gong Lijiao has contributed too much and worked hard for too long for the project she loves.

"(The championship result) was really too low, but I didn't seize this opportunity, which is a pity." Gong Lijiao said. Her face was full of regrets. In her five Olympic journeys, this championship result was the lowest, and her two major competitors were also "eliminated" one after another. But regrets are regrets. Gong Lijiao failed to defend her title due to a waist injury.

In the preliminaries, Gong Lijiao was in average condition, and her scores in the three qualifying rounds were all below 19 meters. At that time, Gong Lijiao said that she had suffered a serious back injury not long ago and had to take a closed injection before she could play. The preliminaries also produced a big upset, as two-time world champion and American star Jackson made consecutive mistakes. After failing to score in the first two throws, he only threw 17.60 meters in the third throw and ultimately missed the final.

The final on August 9 was held in the rain, and another favorite to win, Canadian star Milton, also made a mistake. The elimination of two major competitors put Gong Lijiao in a favorable position, but she was unable to display her skills. The best result of the six rounds of attempts was 19.27 meters, far from the 20.58 meters she won in the Tokyo Olympics.

Standing in the venue, Gong Lijiao's eyes were red. "This year's condition is really good. Whether it is big ball training or strength training indicators, they are all the best in history, even better than before the Tokyo Olympics." Gong Lijiao paused and talked about the most difficult part. "Maybe it's because of my age. I trained too much in the past period, and the weight was too heavy, which caused my waist to be injured."

Only after the injection of the blocking injection did Gong Lijiao ensure that she would not withdraw from the competition and finally stand on the court. She has tried her best. Although she did not get the results she wanted, Gong Lijiao is also trying to persuade herself. "This is life. There will always be regrets. You can't just have gains... Last year I won the Grand Slam, but this year I have a little regret." After saying this, Gong Lijiao laughed at her "rhyme", just like the cute and cheerful girl in the past.

"What are your plans for the next step? Will you persist until the sixth Olympic Games?" Gong Lijiao shook her head and said that she would continue to persist in the short term and the goal of 21 meters would remain her unchanging pursuit. "I dare not say anything as a veteran of six dynasties, but everything is possible. It depends on my condition. If I am not injured, I think it will be fine."

Gong Lijiao's five Olympic Games have not come to an end, and her wonderful story continues.

(Reprinted from page 2 of China Sports Daily on August 11)