Xie claims gold in Asian Games qualifiers

Xie Zhenye (middle). [Photo/Zhejiang Daily]

Shaoxing sprinter Xie Zhenye secured his Asian Games spot by winning the 2023 National Athletics Championships and Asian Games qualifiers on June 29.

Xie broke the 20.50-second barrier in the men's 200m final, clinching the gold medal with a time of 20.49 and setting a new personal best of the season.

Prior to this, Xie won the men's 100m final with a time of 10.09, followed by his victory in the 200m, securing the title of double champion in this edition of the event.

Xie acknowledged that he still has room for improvement in both events. "I didn't feel comfortable during the 200m preliminaries. In the final, I mainly adjusted the pace a bit and didn't expect to achieve such a strong result. There are still areas where I can make further adjustments."

Regarding the 100m, he expressed his readiness to once again break the 10-second barrier when the opportunity arises.

Born in Shaoxing on August 17, 1993, Xie won the gold medal in the 200-meter race at the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympics and in the 4x100-meter relay at the Incheon Asian Games.

He holds the men's 200-meter Asian record, which he set during the 2019 Diamond League London meeting, becoming the first Asian athlete to break the 20-second barrier.

Xie is now focused on achieving his goals at the Hangzhou Asian Games. He aims to become the first Chinese athlete to win an individual 200-meter gold medal at the games and hopes to help his team win the relay gold as well.