Street circuit sprints back into view

With track-and-field meets still rare these days amid the pandemic, and spectators watching in the stands even rarer, the return of the China Athletics Street Tour was a welcome chance for fans to catch some of the country's brightest athletics stars in action.

On Saturday, the circuit, which is staged outside downtown shopping malls, visited Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province.

The Nanjing leg featured men's high jump and men's 60-meter sprint competitions, attracting the likes of Team China stars Xie Zhenye, who holds the Asian 200m record of 19.99 seconds, and Wang Yu, who won high jump gold at the 2018 Asian Games.

Heavy rain in Nanjing over the weekend failed to dampen the enthusiasm of fans who lined the track, clearly relishing the chance to watch the national team heroes at such proximity.

Nineteen-year-old Wang Zhen won the high jump gold with a leap of 2.3 meters, while Wang Yu ranked third. Zhang Ruixuan won the men's 60m sprint, clocking 6.72 seconds, ahead of second-place Xie (6.76).

"It was unexpected that the rain just kept bucketing down. I thought it might stop before the race started and we could have nice weather today," said Xie.

"But I still cherish this opportunity to interact with the public and have fun. Despite the rain, I hope the people here today can keep their passion for athletics, which impressed me today.

"I hope I can find a better pace in the next competition. My goal is to have a steady performance of about 20.20 seconds in the 200m. But before the Olympics, I don't want to give myself too much pressure. These races allowed me to have a comprehensive evaluation of my current physical condition."

Xie also believes the competitive environment and close interaction with fans on the street is a welcome break from the daily drudgery of training and is hugely helpful to his preparations for this summer's Tokyo Olympics.

"Speaking of the street races, I think it is a useful adjustment to my long-term training schedule, which is a very interesting experience for me," Xie added.

"It can help me to adjust my condition and give me more passion, which in turn can motivate me more in the next phase of training. Spending too much time training behind closed doors can become boring and tiring. So it's important to have something like this."

The street tour's Nanjing leg also featured an amateur 60m sprint competition for over 100 students from 12 local universities. The student sprinters enjoyed the same track, facilities and referees as the national team members, with the top three finishers receiving replica trophies, akin to those received by the pros.

Through cooperation with local education and sports departments, the organizers hope the event will encourage more young people to embrace track and field.