Zheng Ninali competes during the women's heptathlon high jump match at the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday. Photo: IC

 

Chinese heptathlon athlete, Nina Schultz, completed the shot put event at the Tokyo Olympic Games on Wednesday afternoon, coming in fifth. A former Canadian citizen, Schultz immigrated to China to fulfill her maternal grandmother's Olympic dream.

Schultz, known in China as Zheng Ninali, also took 978 points in the high jump on Wednesday morning, tying with her contender Nadine Broerse from the Netherlands in sixth place.

This dream of competing at the Olympic Games is not just hers alone, but is also something of a family heirloom. 

Speaking to media, Zheng has said that she wanted to represent China at the Tokyo Olympic Games in order to fulfill the dream of her maternal grandmother, well-known Chinese athlete Zheng Fengrong.

In 1957, Zheng Fengrong made history by becoming the first Chinese woman to break a world record by achieving a high jump of 1.77 meters at the ­National Athletic Championships in Beijing, beating the previous 1.76-meter high jump record set by US athlete Mildred McDaniel in 1956. Yet she was never able to compete in the Olympic Games as China didn't take part in the Summer Olympics from 1956 to 1984.

Born in Canada, Zheng Ninali took part in China's 13th National Games track and field competition in 2017. While at the event, she publicly expressed her willingness to give up her Canadian citizenship to represent China at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

The choice to become a naturalized citizen of China was not without its sacrifices as it meant Zheng Ninali couldn't participate in any international competitions for two years, while her score with the World Athletics, formerly known as the International Association of Athletics Federations - points used to select athletes eligible for the Olympics - would return to zero.  

Zheng Ninali began her naturalization process in 2019 and was granted Chinese citizenship in 2021, becoming China's first naturalized track and field athlete. 

She officially started competing for the ­Chinese team on April 12. Over the next 60 days, she worked hard to earn 1,197 points to rank No.20 in the Olympic places, thus securing her place at the Tokyo Games.

"My grandmother was that kind of never-say-never person for me. She spent 330s days at training venues out of a year," Zheng Ninali told media after a competition in March.

"So I think of my grandmother every time I feel exhausted during a competition."