Chinese gymnasts compete in the team all-around rhythmic gymnastics final at the World University Games in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, on July 30, 2023 Photo: Cui Meng/Global Times

The Chinese delegation established a strong presence at the Chengdu Universiade over the weekend, as they bagged nine gold medals on Sunday, Day 2 of the tournament, allowing China to take the top spot on the medal table with a total of 13 golds. 

In rhythmic gymnastics, China won the team all-around by 0.55 points in a nail-biting competition. But besides their achievement, team member Li Huilin credited the audience for boosting the team's performance.

"I was quite excited when I was on the field during the competition. The audience was very enthusiastic, and I could feel their energy," Li told reporters. "I really love this place."

In archery, China defeated France to win gold at the compound men's team event. After a close final, China outlasted South Korea 5-4 to clinch the recurve women's team gold. 

Compound men's team gold medalist Du Meiyu from Tongji University, who often clapped with other teammates during the race, shared their secret to success with the Global Times on Sunday.

"We clapped to encourage ourselves, because whatever the results may be, we were trying our best to restart in the next round," Du told the Global Times, attributing the win to group efforts rather than individual ones.

Du's teammate Chen Yangsong from the Shangdong Vocational College of Industry pointed out that the main factor in their victory was their consistent play throughout the match.

"The state we strive to achieve is to shoot an arrow and forget about the outcome of the ring score, always focusing on the arrow we are about to shoot in our hands," he said. 

"We come from different regions and different schools… The biggest thing we gained was the unity and cohesion between each other, including the cooperation with our coaches and the bonding between teammates," Chen told the Global Times.

The main goal of the Chinese archery team in the compound bow is to compete for the gold medal in the men's and women's team event, Zhang Bo, leader of the Chinese archery team for the Chengdu FISU Games, told reporters.

"We have made extensive preparations in terms of athletes' mind-set and tactical training during our short period of training," Zhang told the Global Times. 

"Our athletes cooperated with each other to guide our technical movements and encouraged one another, achieving a collective strength that surpasses our individual abilities."

Zhang said the Chinese archery team's gold medal harvest in the team event is also playing a positive role in the further promotion of archery among Chinese university students. 

"It's like a seed planted inside the college student population, so that everyone can see that an ordinary student can ascend to the highest podium of the world's college athletics through their own efforts."

In Zhang's view, the Chengdu FISU Games are not only an arena for athletes to strive for a podium finish, but also an occasion for university students from all over the world to communicate with each other. 

"We can see athletes from different countries often observe each other's equipment brands during training sessions. They then engage in lively conversations, sharing their experiences and insights during meals and breaks. This creates a vibrant atmosphere of camaraderie," Zhang said.

In the wushu dicipline, Cao Maoyuan, who won the Chinese delegation's first gold at the Universiade, continued his hot form to clinch his second gold in the men's Nangun. Meanwhile, following Cao's victory in Taijiquan, compatriot Chen Xiaoli also pocketed her second gold of the Games by winning the women's Taijijian. Jin Zhedian won the men's Daoshu gold. 

In shooting, Liu Yukun, Wang Yuefeng and Li Xinmiao claimed the 50m rifle 3 positions men's team gold. Xia Qi, Duan Zhicheng and Liu Shuai bagged gold at the 25m rapid fire pistol men's team event.

The FISU Games are scheduled to end on August 8.