Chinese fencing icon Sun Yiwen is charging toward the Paris 2024 Olympics with renewed fire 🔥 after overcoming career-threatening setbacks. The 31-year-old épée specialist, who became China’s first Olympic fencing gold medalist in Tokyo 2021, opens up about her turbulent journey in an exclusive interview with China Media Group.
From Heartbreak to Healing ⚔️
Sun’s Tokyo triumph hid private struggles – a painful injury during the team semifinals against South Korea led to a crushing loss that 'haunted me for months'. After taking a 14-month break post-2021 National Games, she rebuilt her skills 'like learning to walk again'.
The Comeback Chronicles 🦸♀️
Sun’s 2023 World Championships bronze proved she still had the edge, but her team faced Olympic qualification drama 😬. A shock loss to China’s Hong Kong at the Asian Championships nearly derailed their Paris dreams – until March’s clutch performance in Nanjing:
⚔️ Defeated world No. 1 South Korea in quarters
🥈 Secured silver medal
🎟️ Clinched Olympic team qualification
'That final bout? Way tougher than the Olympics!' Sun laughed, recalling the pressure cooker moment.
Paris Promise 🌟
With 3 Olympic medals already, Sun’s new mantra is 'no regrets'. As she trains alongside teammates Zhu Mingye, Tang Junyao, and Lin Sheng, the squad eyes redemption in both individual and team events. Will Paris write another golden chapter? 💫
