Peking University, Sept. 5, 2017:In the final competition of the men’s 400-meter dash at the 13th National Games of China held on September 3 in Tianjin, a new national record was set by Guo Zhongze, a student from Peking University, who broke the national record by winning the men’s 400-meter dash in 45.14 seconds. This was also the first time for high-level athletes from PKU to win the championship at the National Games of China.
Guo Zhongze
Guo Zhongze on the sports field
Guo Zhongze, born in Liaoning Province in 1996, was admitted into PKU School of Journalism and Communication in 2014. At the end of 2014, he registered as an athlete in Shanghai Team in the Track and Field Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport and began to participate in national games.
He represented China to compete in the 2015 World Athletics Championships held in Beijing. He also won the championship at the National Athletics Championships in 2015 and 2016 and became the champion for many times in Chinese College Student Athletics Championships and the Track Meet of Colleges and Universities in Beijing.
Talking about the feeling of winning this year’s game, Guo Zhongze said, “I have tried my best and I am too tired to run another 10-meter”. In last year’s National Athletics Championships held also in Tianjin, he won the men’s 400-meter dash in 46.16 seconds. Within one year, on the same sports field, he has improved his time from 46.16 to 45.14 seconds. He said that he never thought of breaking the national record this year and regarded Tianjin as his ‘lucky place’”.
Guo has a clear goal for the future. He divided his life into three parts: learning, training, and competing. Although trying to excel in all these three areas is difficult, he always bears his dream in heart: to finish the 400-meter dash within 45 seconds, to reach the level required of the World Championships and the Olympic Games, to participate in the Tokyo Olympic Games, and to represent China to compete on the international stage.
Written by: Hu Rong
Edited by: Zhang Jiang
Source: PKU News (Chinese)
