Asian Games 2023 | Henan's athletes ready to shine at the Hangzhou Asian Games

Huang Hui from Henan Daily

河南日报记者 黄晖

[Photo by Du Xiaoyi/Xinhua]

The Hangzhou Asian Games will be held from September 23rd to October 8th.The Games features 40 sports and 61 disciplines. Consequently, a total of 481 gold medals will be awarded at the Games. Among the 40 sports, 29 align with Olympic events introduced at the Paris Olympics, while the other 11 non-Olympic events encompass unique sports from various regions across Asia.

杭州亚运会将于9月23日至10月8日举行，共设40个大项、61个分项，共产生481块金牌。40个大项中，29个项目为参照巴黎奥运会设置的奥运项目，11个非奥项目涵盖了亚洲各地区特色体育项目。

A total of 24 athletes from Henan province have secured their qualifications to participate in the Hangzhou Asian Games. They will compete in 16 sports and 30 events, striving for excellence on the field.

我省共有24名运动员取得了杭州亚运会参赛资格，他们将在16个大项、30个小项的比赛中拼搏赛场、力争佳绩。

Two Olympic champions leading the way

两位奥运冠军领衔

Among Henan's athletes participating in the Games, the two Olympic champions Lv Yang and Bao Shanju receive the most attention. At the Tokyo Olympics, both athletes bagged gold medals with outstanding performances in rowing and track cycling events, respectively. In the Hangzhou Asian Games, their events remain the same: women's quadruple sculls in rowing and women's team sprint in track cycling. And their goal remains unchanged---the gold medal.

参赛的河南选手中，最引人注目的无疑是两位奥运冠军吕扬、鲍珊菊。东京奥运会，两人凭借出色发挥分别在赛艇和场地自行车项目中夺得金牌。杭州亚运会，两人项目不变：赛艇女子四人双桨、场地自行车女子团体竞速赛；目标不变：金牌！

In addition to the Olympic champions, the Henan contingent features several athletes who have previously won gold and silver medals at the National Games. They also get considerable attention.

奥运冠军之外，河南参赛阵容中还有多位选手曾在全运会上斩金夺银，此番转战亚运舞台，表现同样引人关注。

After clinching the "first-ever" women's breakdance championship at the 14th National Games in Shaanxi in 2021, Liu Qingyi has excelled in international breakdance competitions, consecutively winning titles in top-level world championships and Olympic ranking events. On July 18th, as a potential champion, Liu Qingyi was officially selected into the breakdance national team for the Hangzhou Asian Games. In the Games, Liu will continue to enhance her dancing skills, physical fitness, and psychological qualities, striving for the gold medal.

夺得2021年第十四届陕西全运会“史上首个”霹雳舞女子组冠军后，刘清漪在霹雳舞国际赛场上大放异彩，接连夺冠顶级世界大赛、奥运积分赛。7月18日，刘清漪作为女子组夺冠热门正式入选杭州亚运会霹雳舞国家队。此番再战亚运，刘清漪将继续加强专项技术、体能和心理素质方面的训练，全力向金牌发起冲击。

Furthermore, athletes such as Yang Yang, the champion of the men's team pursuit in track cycling at the 14th National Games, karate champion Li Ranran, runner-up Ding Jiamei, men's 400m hurdles champion Xie Zhiyu, and men's javelin throwing runner-up Hu Haoran, will also compete for excellence at the Asian Games.

此外，第十四届全运会场地自行车男子团体追逐赛冠军杨阳，空手道女子55公斤级冠军李冉冉、亚军丁佳美，男子400米栏冠军谢智宇，男子标枪亚军胡浩然等选手，也将在亚运赛场上力拼佳绩。

Veterans and rookies marching forward together

老将新秀携手并进

Among the 24 athletes participating in the Asian Games, there are experienced veterans in their 30s and talented newcomers under the age of 20. Henan's competitive sports scene is marked by the dedication of its veterans and the emergence of young talents.

参加亚运会的24名河南运动员当中，既有30多岁的老将，也有不满20岁的新秀。河南竞技体育老将坚守，新人辈出。

Shooter Wu Cuicui, born in 1987, is the only athlete born in the 80s among Henan's participants. She has maintained strict self-discipline since she has joined the national team in April last year. Despite playing through injury, Wu Cuicui achieved her best performance in recent years at the shooting international competitions at the end of August. She secured the first positionfor the national team in Paris Olympics and simultaneously secured her qualification for the Asian Games.

射击选手武翠翠生于1987年，是河南参赛选手中唯一的“80后”，自去年4月进入国家队后一直严格要求自己。在8月底结束的射击世锦赛上，武翠翠带伤上场，打出了近年国际大赛的最好成绩，为国家队赢得了第一个巴黎奥运会席位，同时确定了亚运会参赛资格。

Born in 1994, women's Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) athlete Li Yueyao began her athletic career at the Tagou Martial Art School in 2008. Over the past decade, she has won numerous domestic and international championships. In the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, she clinched the gold medal in the women's Sanda 52kg category. In preparation for the Hangzhou Asian Games, Li Yueyao topped all five selection trials, securing her spot with undisputed strength, as she embarks on her journey to defend her title.

1994年出生的女子散打运动员李玥瑶2008年在塔沟武校开启运动生涯，10多年间夺得过多项国内外大赛冠军，2018年雅加达亚运会她就曾在女子散打52公斤级比赛中夺冠。此次备战杭州亚运会，李玥瑶五次选拔赛均获得第一名，以绝对实力拿到杭州亚运会参赛资格，开启卫冕征程。

Interestingly, three athletes were born in April 1999, namely boxer Han Xuezhen, Wang Xiangyang, and taekwondo athlete Xiao Chenming. Swimmer Wang Haoyu, born in July 2005, is the youngest athlete in Henan's lineup. After gaining recognition at the 2021 National Games, his performance has continued to improve. In this year's National Spring Swimming Championships, he clocked 47.89 seconds to win the men's 100m freestyle, becoming the third Chinese swimmer to break the 48-second barrier, following in the footsteps of Ning Zetao and Pan Zhanle.

巧合的是，河南亚运阵容中有三位选手出生于1999年4月：拳击选手韩雪振、王向阳，跆拳道选手肖晨鸣。2005年7月出生的游泳选手王浩宇是河南参赛阵容中年龄最小的选手，2021年全运会崭露头角之后成绩不断提升，今年全国春季游泳锦标赛男子100米自由泳决赛，他以47秒89获得第一名，成为继宁泽涛、潘展乐之后，中国游泳打开48秒大关的第三人。

Henan's Asian Games lineup also includes many athletes born after 2000, such as Ji Gaoxing, Fan Junjie, Li Zhongyuan, Liu Qi, and others. They will showcase the youthful spirit of Henan's competitive sports in events such as men's eight-rowing with coxswain, men's triathlon, men's archery, and track cycling.

河南队参赛阵容中还有冀高星、范俊杰、李中原、刘琦等多位“00后”小将，他们将在赛艇男子八人单桨有舵手、男子铁人三项、男子射箭、场地自行车等项目中，展示河南竞技体育的青春风采。

Two Henan girls competing in "Big Three"

三大球有俩河南姑娘

Starting from the Tokyo Olympic qualifiers, Henan girl Zhang Ru has never left the Chinese women's basketball team. Together with her teammates, she achieved a fifth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics, matched their best-ever performance with a runner-up finish at the 2022 Women's Basketball World Cup, and reclaimed the title of Asia's best with a championship win at the 2023 Women's Basketball Asia Cup. Now, wearing the number 10 jersey for the national women's basketball team, Zhang Ru holds the key position as the starting small forward.

从东京奥运会资格赛开始，河南姑娘张茹就再没离开过中国女篮，她和队友们一道夺得东京奥运会第五名、追平历史最佳战绩的2022年女篮世界杯亚军、重回亚洲之巅的2023年女篮亚洲杯冠军，如今，身披国家女篮10号征袍的张茹位置为主力三号位。

In this Asian Games, the Chinese Football Association has not set specific goals for the Chinese women's football team. However, as they recently faced setbacks on the world stage, the Chinese women's football team’s immediate focus is to give their all in the Asian Games and rebuild their confidence. Lou Jiahui, another Henan-born member of the women's football team who has also participated in the Olympics and the Asian Cup, is currently fully dedicated to preparing for the tournament with her teammates. As for their goal, in the hearts of the Chinese people, there is only one goal for the Chinese women's football team---winning the championship!

本届亚运会，中国足协并未给中国女足明确具体的竞赛目标，但对于刚刚在世界杯赛场上遭遇挫折的中国女足来说，全力以赴在家门口打好本届亚运会比赛、重树信心是当务之急。与张茹一样参加过奥运会、亚洲杯的河南女足队员娄佳惠，目前正全力以赴与队友一起备战。至于目标，在国人心里，中国女足的目标只有一个：冠军！

In addition to the “big balls”, Henan athletes also seen on the “small ball” arena at the Asian Games

“大球”之外，亚运会“小球”赛场也有河南选手的身影——

Soft ball competition is set to begin on September 26th. Together with her teammates, the national team third baseman and Henan athlete Wang Mengru will compete against the main rivals, Japan and Chinese Taipei, with the goal of contending for medals.

垒球比赛将于9月26日开赛，国家队三垒手、河南选手王梦茹将和队友们一道，面对主要对手日本队、中国台北队，目标是争夺奖牌。

On the soft tennis court, Henan girls Li Denglin and Ma Yue will participate in women's team and singles competitions, striving for excellent performances.

软式网球赛场，河南姑娘李邓琳、马玥将参加女子团体和单打比赛，力争佳绩。

The year 2023 is a crucial year for preparing for the 2024 Paris Olympics and also a year for gearing up for the 2025 National Games in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The Asian Games has always been referred to as the "mid-term exam" before the Olympics, playing a vital role in talent discovery, team development, and evaluating pre-Olympic preparations. We look forward to the Henan athletes "taking the exam" at the Asian Games in Hangzhou and achieving high scores on the banks of the Qiantang River.

2023年是2024年巴黎奥运会备战冲刺年，也是2025年粤港澳大湾区全运会备战攻坚年。亚运会一直以来都被称作奥运会前的“中考”，对奥运会备战从发现人才、锻炼队伍、检验备战成效等方面发挥着重要作用，期待“赶考”亚运赛场的河南健儿在钱塘江畔书写“高分答卷”。