CHINA DAILY AUGUST 19, 2011 • PAGE 3 ATHLETICS

High jumper comes up short but keeps elevated hopes

Wang Yu performs in the men’s fi nal on Wednesday. He fi nished fourth at 2.24m. PROVIDED TO DAILY

By LEI LEI improve my speed and strength. dent said holding the Chinese work at a sports school. country. I learned a lot from them, CHINA DAILY I’m only a freshman.” delegation’s fl ag — considered the Wang never received official and they broadened my mind.” Ukrainian Bogdan Bondarenko top honor for an athlete — was training before he was selected — Wang beat many professional — Despite nar- claimed gold in the men’s high encouraging. essentially because of his 1.9-meter athletes to win the gold at a nation- rowly missing the podium in the jump final on Wednesday night “I was very surprised when I height — by the high school al track and fi eld event this year men’s high jump, Wang Yu, the with 2.28 meters. found out. I asked myself why,” attached to Tsinghua University in with his personal best of 2.28m. He fl ag-bearer of the Chinese delega- He was followed by Pole Wang said. as a “young sports talent”. also claimed the titles at the next tion at the opening ceremony, is Wojciech Theiner, who jumped “I think maybe it’s because I He said it was diffi cult to study two National Grand Prix meet. satisfi ed with his fi rst Universiade 2.26m, and Russian Sergey Mudrov, had achieved good results in high so far from home at age 16. On his 20th birthday, Wang made experience. who jumped 2.24m. Wang fi nished school and university, and I’m tall “I complained at the beginning, two wishes — to grow even taller to The university freshman, who fourth — with the same height as enough to do it. I’m also a fresh- but since I’ve fi nished, I’ve always be able to jump better and to pass turned 20 on Wednesday, believes Mudrov but with more failures in man, so I think it represents the believed that if I hadn’t controlled the university’s Level 4 English exam. he still has time to improve. the previous round. hopes the delegation has for the myself well then, I wouldn’t be as “I can’t perform my best at every “I expected a medal here, so I’m “I’m not as strong as the other new generation.” good of a person now,” he said. competition,” he said. a little regretful,” Wang said. jumpers, and I was not that focused The Zhuhai city, Guangdong “I used to be introverted but “But standing on the fi eld and “But I tried my best, so I’m sat- in the competition,” Wang said. province native comes from a fam- became outgoing at school because learning something is another isfied. I’ll keep training hard to The Tsinghua University stu- ily tradition of sports. His parents my classmates were from all over the form of progress.” Brotherly love at fi nish line

By LEI LEI think the moment we crossed the least a medal here. I’m very happy CHINA DAILY line hand in hand was the most that I took the silver,” Abdelmad- touching one. jed said. “We made great eff orts to SHENZHEN — Imad Touil “We should say thank you to all achieve this and I’m very glad that could have run faster to claim his the spectators for their support.” I can stand in the stadium with the gold medal, but he slowed down Imad won the race in 3 min, 48.13 national fl ag on my shoulder.” before crossing the finish line, sec, followed by Abdelmadjed in The identical twins admitted reaching out for the hand of his 3:48.24. Russia’s Valentin Smirnov that even their coach found it hard twin brother, Abdelmadjed. took the bronze in 3:48.45. to tell them apart. The siblings kept a promise Aft er the race, the two held the “Since we look the same and are made before the race to win gold national fl ag of Algeria and posed the same height, even our coach and silver in the 1,500m at Shen- for photos together. cannot tell who we are sometimes. zhen Universiade on Wednesday. “I worked very hard to win the So he can’t tell who runs faster,” “Before the race, we promised to gold medal today,” said Imad. “I said Abdelmadjed. each other that if we could fi nish in spent a lot of time in training, so I For the brothers, the the top two we would cross the fi n- sacrifi ced a lot of leisure time.” Olympics is their next goal. ishing line hand in hand,” said Imad. His brother agreed. “We will defi nitely compete at “Special moments between us “I came to this Universiade to the London Olympics next year. LIAO YUJIE / XINHUA happen nearly every day, but I realize my dream. I expected at We are preparing for it,” Imad said. Imad Touil (left) and his twin brother, Abdelmadjed, pose after their race.