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Faces of the Games| Lishui city athletes get ready for Hangzhou Asian Games

chinadaily.com.cn| Updated : Jul 20, 2023 L M S

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Roller skater Yu Junyan goes all out as he prepares for the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games. [Photo/Tide News]

Four athletes from the city of Lishui – located in East China's Zhejiang province – will compete for China at the 19th Asian Games, which will be held in the province's capital Hangzhou from Sept 23 to Oct 8.

They are Yu Junyan, a three-time world champion in roller skating, Wang Nan and Dong Xiya – both canoeists and rowers – and Liu Yaxin, a swimmer.

Yu, 22, started roller skating at nine and joined the national team in 2015. He has won three consecutive world titles in the sport. He dominated the trials for the Hangzhou Asian Games with a clear advantage and secured his spot on the Chinese team.

Yu said he regarded the Hangzhou Asian Games as the culmination of his roller-skating career and was fully focused on preparing for it.

"I want to win glory for my country at home and repay all the support and guidance I’ve received from my local and national teams over the past decade," he said.

Wang, born in 2000, is the first female Olympian from Lishui's Qingyuan county. She has clinched multiple titles in various canoeing events, finished sixth at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and claimed the gold medal at the 14th National Games 2021.

Dong, also born in 2000, had five years of track and field experience before switching to rowing. She joined the national team in 2021 and impressed at the Asian Games trials, earning her place in the event.

Both Wang and Dong said they were determined to make breakthroughs at the Hangzhou Asian Games and challenge themselves against strong opponents.

Liu, 24, from Longquan, a county-level city of Lishui, won her first gold medal in the women's 200-meter backstroke at the National Swimming Championships in 2014.

She's been a regular member of the national team since the Rio Olympics and has achieved many excellent results in various meets. She won gold for China in the women's 200 backstroke at the 2018 Asian Games.

Liu said she was confident about her performance at the Hangzhou Asian Games, having maintained consistency in her training and competitions.