Sprinter Ge Manqi pockets 2nd gold at China's National Games

XI'AN - Newly-crowned women's 100m champion Ge Manqi won her second gold medal at China's National Games with the 200m victory here on Thursday.

The 23-year-old sprinter kept her good form from Monday's title-winning race, took a clear lead and crossed the finish line in a match-leading 23.05 seconds for Fujian.

Cai Yanting from Jiangsu won a silver with a personal best of 23.13 seconds, and Ge's national teammate Liang Xiaojing from Guangdong got the bronze in 23.25s.

Ge achieved her goal of winning two golds in four days. "I hoped to win two golds here, and I can finally say 'I made it!'," she said.

Ge was satisfied with her performance in her third National Games. "I lacked experience and strength at the last edition of the Games. That was when I made up my mind to grow and improve myself within these four years," she said.

In May 2020, Ge set her personal best time of 22.69s in a 200m competition in Fuzhou, marking the fastest time by a Chinese female sprinter in the distance since 1998.

As the first Chinese to qualify for the Olympic women's 100m semifinals at Tokyo 2020, Ge is deemed a promising star in the event.

"I hope to stand on top of the podium at the Asian Games and achieve better results in Paris (in 2024)," she concluded.