Xie Zhenye backs China's young sprinters to shine on world stage
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Veteran Chinese sprinter Xie Zhenye believes the country's emerging athletes have the potential to shine internationally. Speaking to CGTN Sports Scene's Jiang Mengxi after helping China win the men's 4x100m relay at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, the 33-year-old discussed the progress of Asian sprinting and touched on his plans for the future.
Xie ran the anchor leg as China clocked 38.17 seconds to retain the title. He admitted feeling considerable pressure while getting the team over the finish line after his three teammates had put the Chinese in a strong position to claim victory.Β
"The first three runners had done an excellent job, and I didn't want anything to go wrong on my leg," Xie said. "When I crossed the finish line, I was thinking, 'I did it, and we did it.'"
The Hangzhou Asian Games 100m champion acknowledged that staying competitive has become more difficult with age and years of accumulated injuries. He credited scientific training and support from his team for allowing him to remain at the top level.
Xie is particularly encouraged by China's younger generation, with an increasing number of sprinters showing strong promise and approaching the 10-second barrier.
"If you compare them at the same stage of their careers, they're far better than Su Bingtian and I were," he said.
"I believe Chinese sprinting will become increasingly competitive in the future, and we will see more Asian faces in finals on the world stage."
Xie's next major target is the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing, 12 years after the Chinese capital last hosted the event.
"I'm very excited," he said. "I really hope that I can compete on the World Championships stage in Beijing again and achieve an even better result for China."
