University students exercise and take part in a hurdles race. [Photo by Zhao Qirui/Hao Qunying/for China Daily]

Games highlight growth of university sports development

Many student-athletes saw their sporting dreams come true at the Chengdu FISU World University Games, which ended in the Sichuan provincial capital on Tuesday.

A spectacular stage for the athletes to perform to their best, the games marked not only career milestones for the competitors, but also bore testimony to the rapid growth of university sports development in China.

Liu Lixin, deputy head of the Chinese delegation and vice-president of the Federation of University Sports of China, said, "The games are not just a great platform for student-athletes from across the world to compete together, they also offer a great opportunity for the students to show their sporting spirit to the world.

"The participation of the Chinese delegation is the best showcase for the growth of university sports in the nation in recent years. Facilitating such development is important in improving the physical health of our students, and a crucial way to find and nurture future sports stars."

"The stories of Chinese student-athletes who excel at these Games by showing an exemplary sporting spirit can attract more young people to learn about, embrace and love sports. Taking part in sports is highly beneficial to students, as it brings them fun, makes them healthier, and forges a strong mentality."

The Chengdu FISU Games attracted 6,500 student-athletes from a total of 113 countries and regions. The Team China delegation comprised over 700 members. The average age of the Chinese athletes was 22.9 years, and the squad was gender-balanced, with women comprising 205 of the 411 athletes.

A number of young Chinese athletes did exceptionally well at the Games, including Xia Yuyu, who won gold in the women's 10,000 meters. A student-athlete at Tsinghua University, Xia has been a regular competitor in many domestic and international long-distance running events. Notably, she was a winner at last year's Beijing Marathon.

"I really want to thank my university, which helped me solve many problems during preparations for the Games in Chengdu. It's not been easy for my coach, who has had to attend to all the details of my training and daily life," Xia said.

"The great result I achieved should be credited to the terrific support from my university, my coaching team and the Federation of University Sports of China. They offer me a lot so that I can perform to my best ability on the track."

This year's event was Xia's last competitive appearance at the Games. She said she pushed herself to the limit to achieve the best possible result. Before the Games, she ran for 30 kilometers during training each day.