On the final day of the athletics programme at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Chinese athletes won two gold medals, but the main thing is not the numbers in the record book, but how young athletes turn defeats and victories into future capital.
Sheng Xuefeng in the triple jump showed a personal best of 16,18 metres and finished ahead of the Uzbek athlete. Wang Yaru in the women's 5000-metre walk also set a personal best — 22:58,33. These figures matter more than just gold: they show that the Chinese school is beginning to deliver results not only in the usual disciplines, but also where other continents once dominated.
Over three days of competition, the Chinese athletics team collected three gold, four silver and two bronze medals. This is not a record of previous Youth Olympic Games, but neither is it a failure. More important is something else: almost all the medallists said after the finish the same thing — about the lack of experience at major competitions and about how important it was simply to be here.
Chen Xinxuan, who took bronze in the 200-metre race, said plainly: the competition schedule helped her prepare, but the result was disappointing. She is already planning her winter training in order to come back stronger. Such words are not a stock phrase, but an acknowledgement that the road to the top is longer than one medal.
Compare this with the Asian Games in Nagoya, where China dominated in athletics. Here, in Africa, at the youth level, everything is different: the competition is tougher, and the stakes are long-term. A personal best today can become a springboard to Los Angeles 2028, where these same athletes will no longer be juniors.
Chinese athletics is clearly betting on systematic work with young people. Not every day brings gold, but every competition adds experience that no amount of home training can replace. It is precisely such trips that shape future champions.
