4 . During the Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 in 2023, one of the highlights is a 48-year-old Uzbekistan gymnast, Oksana Chusovitina (“Chuso” as she is affectionately known), who continues to compete despite numerous “retirements” .

Born in Bukhara, Uzbekistan in 1975, Chuso competed and won gold in her first Olympic Games at Barcelona 1992. After competing at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games, Chuso got married in 1997 and two years later, Alisher, her son, was born. Chuso’s first “retirement” was due after competing at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, by which time five world championship medals had been won including three golds. But in 2002, Alisher was diagnosed with leukemia (白血病). The family moved to Germany where better treatment was available and Chuso continued to train as a way to take a break from the stresses of her son’s health.

Chuso competed at Athens 2004, gained German citizenship in 2006 and won silver on vault (跳马) at Beijing 2008 for her adopted nation — Germany, aged 33, just months after Alisher received the all-clear. At London 2012, Chuso came fifth in the vault final. And finally, in 2013, after eight years in Germany, Chuso returned to the place she calls home, Uzbekistan. Chuso switched back to competing for her home nation at Rio 2016 and at Tokyo 2020, where she just qualified for vault, but unfortunately did not make the final. In 2022, Chuso won gold on vault at the Doha World Cup on 5 March, the second of four of the 2022 FIG Artistic Gymnastics Apparatus World Cup series.

The 48-year-old gymnast’s motto is, “I’d rather try today than regret tomorrow”. “I’m an ordinary person,” Chuso says. “I have my feelings, hardships and sometimes I’m even in a bad mood. Nothing phenomenal (非凡的) about me, just stuck in sports a little longer. If you want to achieve something, there is always a way.”

The legendary gymnast Oksana Chusovitina, aged 48, made     1     triumphant return to the Hangzhou Asian Games, narrowly     2     (miss) a medal in the vault final. This is the fifth Asian Games     3     (appear) for the veteran athlete with eight Olympics under her belt.

Chusovitina’s Olympic journey     4     (begin) in 1992. In 2002, the lady,     5     son was diagnosed with leukemia, adopted German citizenship to compete at global events for a higher income and better medical treatment. After the boy’s recovery, the     6     (determine) mother continued her gymnastics journey out of love for the sport. Though she announced her retirement after the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, she decided to return shortly after.

In a sport known for its youthful     7     (winner), Chusovitina has become a global fan favorite thanks to her longevity. She     8     (admit) into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2017, and then was named the Best Athlete of the Decade (2011-2020) in a public vote.

“Now I have made     9     clear that I still need to improve in order to qualify for the Olympics, and I feel I have more energy than before. On the podium, everyone is the same, whether you are 40 or 16. For me, I am just     10     the best age,” said the lady.

10-year-old Kyuta Kumagai stood out among all the young wrestlers (摔跤运动员)     1     entered the match. He     2     (weigh) 85 kilograms. That means he is twice the size of the other children at his age. His big size and     3     (fit) make him very fit for the sport. He is so good that Kyuta was named the under-10 world champion.     4     particular, he defeated the competitors from as far away as Britain. Kyuta is a shy boy of few     5     (word). When reporters asked him why he liked to wrestle, his answer was simple: “It is fun to compete with people     6     (old) than me.”

His father created his training routine. And the training is not easy. The 10-year-old boy trains six days each week and does many different exercises. He lifts weights, moves huge tires, swims, and runs. The goal is     7     (build) up flexibility and quickness, two things needed for wrestling. Kyuta     8     (demand) to be on this routine since about the age of six and he didn’t give way     9     any difficulties. That is when his father first entered him in a competition. “I didn’t teach him anything,” his father said, adding that Kyuta could wrestle naturally. After     10     (win) that first competition, Kyuta’s father thought Kyuta may have a special talent for wrestling.

8 . After 18 years of devotion to rhythmic gymnastics, Fanni Pigniczki claimed the gold medal on the international stage. The 23-year-old Hungarian topped the podium (领奖台) not just once but twice!

In a remarkable display of skill and determination, she secured victories in both the individual all-around and Ball at Chengdu Sport University Gymnasium. “It was an amazing feeling to see the Hungarian flag rising up,” Pigniczki said after the medal ceremony. At the Chengdu games, Hungary has secured three gold medals, with Pigniczki, the country’s only rhythmic gymnast then, responsible for two of those. But it was not without a sense of regret — her errors in the concluding pose denied her a medal in another round. Pigniczki vowed to learn from that setback. “I need to improve my stability in the coming training.” she said.

Actually, this positive attitude should be credited to her psychology background at Karoli Gaspar University in Budapest. This major benefits her athletic pursuits, helping her to better manage her emotions. “I have learned to stay calmer and think less during competition. I have also learned that I need to relax and concentrate on the ‘now’ of competition,” added Pigniczki.

“When I was a kid, I tried all kinds of activities like swimming, basketball, and ballet. Seeing the sparking outfit, I fell in love with rhythmic gymnastics instantly. But what truly attracts me is the feeling of readiness in the sport, as I could always improve more.” she said. It is this feeling that has motivated her to set numerous records for Hungarian rhythmic gymnastics. Her outstanding performances at the 2021 European championships earned her a spot at the delayed Tokyo Olympics. Pigniczki became the first Hungarian rhythmic gymnast to grace the Olympic stage since Viktoria Frater at the Sydney 2000 Games. At the Olympics, she finished 20th in the qualification round for the individual all-around. Last year, she continued to make history by becoming the first Hungarian to claim a World Cup medal in rhythmic gymnastics.

Her role in inspiring the next generation of gymnasts was recognized in May when she was honored with the Smart Scoring Shooting Star award.

10 . At a snow park in Zhangiakou, Hebei, Chinese teenage snowboarder Su Yiming won a silver in the men’s snowboarding competition on February 7, 2022. It was the first time that a Chinese snow boarder had ever competed in this event at any Olympics.

Su was introduced to snowboarding at the age of 4 by his parents who were both snowboarding fans. Su fell in love with the sport the first time they took him to a ski center. Later he kept on practicing after class. To save up more time for snowboarding, he would get up at 5 a. m. and finish his homework early. Su just saw snowboarding as a hobby in the beginning. However, on July 31, 2015, when he knew that 2022 Winter Olympics would be held in Beijing, his mind tuned to professional (职业性的) competition. He dreamed of joining in the Winter Olympics. And he decided to go professional.

In 2018. Su became a member of China’s national snowboarding team. In 2020 and 2021, he took home gold medals (奖牌) in all national competitions. In January 2021, he became the first Chinese male snowboarder to finish the Cab 1800-one of the most difficult snowboarding skills.

Behind his success is Su’s hard work. He has made full use of every chance to train more. Usually he arrived at the training center earlier than his teammates. In that way, he could practice more. He even broke several snowboards in one week because of heavy training.