Track and field of dreams

Raising the bar

A host of breakthroughs on the track, led by Su's historic feat, were arguably every bit as satisfying as the team's podium moments.

The 31-year-old Su has blazed a trail for Chinese sprinting throughout his career, and he summoned all his strength and experience to produce yet another milestone by winning his semifinal in an Asian-record 9.83 seconds.

Despite being the fastest qualifier, Su could not quite reproduce that form in the final and finished sixth in a race won by Italian Lamont Marcell Jacobs. As the first Chinese to ever run an Olympic 100m final, Su's place in history was already guaranteed and he could walk away with his head held high.

He later led the men's 4x100m relay team to a fourth-place finish－the same result as Rio－in a national record-tying time of 37.79.

China showed it is also making progress in the women's 100m, where Ge Manqi, 23, became the nation's first Olympic semifinalist in the event. Ge ultimately missed out on the final, finishing seventh in her semi in 11.22.

The women's 4x100m relay team managed a best-ever sixth-place finish in the final, improving on the eighth spot from its only other previous final appearance, at the 2000 Sydney Games.

There was also a notable result for Xie Zhenye, who became the first Chinese to reach an Olympic men's 200m semifinal, while Wang Chunyu finished a highly respectable fifth in the women's 800m.

Led by multiple world and Olympic champion Wang Junxia, China used to be a force to be reckoned with in women's middle- and long-distance running in the 1990s. However, since Xing Huina's 10,000m gold at the 2004 Athens Games, China has endured a lean spell in these disciplines.

"China's middle- and long-distance running is not that strong right now, but at least I can say I am world-class now," said the 26-year-old Wang Chunyu.

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe on Sunday heaped praise on China's track athletes in Tokyo.

"China has been on an upward trajectory for a number of years across many more disciplines," the former two-time men's 1,500m Olympic champion told reporters.

"You've seen the strength in endurance events. Chinese relay teams now are extremely competitive. You have seen the broad range of talent that has emerged and is emerging in the field as well. Su Bingtian is a really good example of the progress that is now being made in the short distances."