OLYMPICS/ Team china
Qian soldiers on for pentathlon medal
By Lei Lei (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-09-21 11:25
Qian Zhenhua says he needs to sharpen his fencing and running skills if the 2005 world champion wants to become the first Chinese to medal in the modern pentathlon at the Beijing Games.
Qian Zhenhua of China competes in the horse riding at the 2007 World Cup Final in Beijing September 15, 2007. Qian finished 9th overall. [Xinhua] |
"After winning the world title in 2005, my fencing techniques were researched carefully by other competitors. I failed to make any improvements so I didn't do well," said Qian shortly after his morale-sapping ninth-place finish at last week's World Cup final in the Chinese capital.
"I have to discuss with my coach how to regain my form at fencing to at least secure a victory rate of 60 to 65 percent."
Qian, who topped the rankings after mastering the shooting part of the five-sport competition, slipped to 25th in the fencing discipline after racking up a win-loss record of 16-19.
He also came up short at the running section to cap a disappointing performance and further narrow his chances of again beating the Europeans at an event they have long monopolized.
The modern pentathlon has been on the Olympic roster since 1912. Originally modeled on the skills required by a cavalry soldier stuck behind enemy lines, it sees athletes compete at pe fencing, pistol shooting, 200m freestyle swimming, show jumping and cross-country running.
With the exception of champion 110m hurdler Liu Xiang and a handful of long-distance female walkers, China has had little success in athletics at the Olympics and is hungry to make its mark in this event among others.
Qian has already secured his berth at next year's Games by finishing fifth at this year's Asian Modern Pentathlon Championships, but he will need to step up a gear to stay in medal contention and keep those hopes alive.
For the 3,000m run, at which he finished 27th in a time of 9 minutes 41 seconds at the latest World Cup meet, Qian said he aims to run 20 seconds faster at the Olympic Games.
"Now I'm training with a professional long-distance running coach," said Qian, 28, from Shanghai. "I hope I can finish it in 9:20.00."
Judging by how his luck has panned out at previous Games, he is going to need every available edge he can get.
At the Sydney Games in 2000 he finished last then improved to a modest 16th place in Athens.
Qian attributed his current results to the "devastating loss" he suffered in Sydney, when a mistake in the equestrian section robbed him of some much-needed points.
"From that moment, I realized how weak I was when facing the powerful European athletes," he recalled. "As China's leading athlete in this field, I started to feel the pressure and responsibility weighing my shoulders."
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