Gold medalists Wang Chuqin (left) and Sun Yingsha pose with the mixed double's trophy at the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals in Doha, Qatar, on May 24, 2025. Photo: VCG

Lately, the international sporting stage has been bustling. In less than a month, the snooker world championship men's and women's titles were simultaneously claimed by Chinese players for the first time; at the table tennis world championships in Doha, Qatar, the Chinese team secured four titles but missed out on the men's doubles gold; on the clay court of Roland Garros, Zheng Qinwen gave her best Grand Slam performance yet but was then defeated by old rival Aryna Sabalenka.

In sports, there have been great triumphs and heartbreaking defeats. People cheer exuberantly for the breakthrough achievers and offer comfort to cheer for those who came up short. The stakes on the court no longer stir national mood swings as they once did. So, does this mean that today, gold medals matter less?

Like a brilliant gem, a gold medal is the highest honor in an athlete's career. At the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022, veteran skiers Xu Mengtao and Qi Guangpu, after four Olympics, finally won gold. Falling time and again, rising time and again, enduring soul-crushing hardship before tasting sweet victory, they added a delicate footnote to "conquering mountains and seas," proving that "passion can endure the long haul."

Stirring the hearts of fans, gold medals plant the seeds of sporting dreams. When athletes push themselves to the limit for the sake of breaking records, it is the spirit of pushing human limits that resonates deeply with people. At the Paris Olympics in 2024, swimmer Pan Zhanle broke the men's 100-meter freestyle world record, embodying "China's speed," while the Olympic motto "Faster, Higher, Stronger - Together" took root in countless hearts.

Reaping bountiful harvests, the number of gold medals remains a key measure of a nation's sports strength. From shooter Xu Haifeng winning China's first Olympic gold in 1984 to China's haul of 40 golds at the 2024 Paris Games, the country's total Summer Olympic gold count has reached 303. 

Zheng Qinwen serves at the French Open on June 3, 2025 in Paris, France. Photo: VCG

The map of gold medals has also expanded beyond traditional strongholds: the first-ever freestyle BMX gold, first artistic swimming gold, first women's boxing gold… Each breakthrough adds a shine to Chinese sports, making each gold feel more substantial.

Through changing times, gold medals remain important, embodying iron-willed determination and the spirit of striving first, while holding the earnest expectations of "raising the national flag and playing the national anthem." However, the way we view gold medals has changed.

In the past, our gaze was fierce and unwavering, filled with collective longing and resolve to catch up with the world. Our collective memories are etched with table tennis player Rong Guotuan winning China's first world title in 1959, Xu Haifeng's pistol shot in 1984, and the women's volleyball team's unprecedented five consecutive world titles in the 1980s. Those hard-earned gold medals proclaimed to the world: "Chinese people can do it!"

When the national anthem repeatedly rang out on international stages, the meaning of gold medals transcended victory or defeat. We remember Liu Xiang breaking the Western monopoly at the Athens Olympics in 2004; we won't forget three Chinese flags raised side by side in table tennis in the summer of 2008. These medals became proof that a great power was rising.

Time flows forward and we stride confidently into a new era. A striving, advancing China grows ever stronger; the pride, backbone and confidence of being Chinese deepen with each passing day. When gold is no longer necessary to prove national self confidence, we stand more assured.

We laugh along with swimmer Fu Yuanhui's hyperbole when she exhausts herself, offer heartfelt comfort to gymnast Zhang Boheng after his repeated attempts at gold come up short, and cheer the final finisher across the marathon line. As long as you fight and persist, even without gold, you are still strong.

The glow of gold medals is still dazzling, but we have learned to respect and appreciate the persistence of those who strive, and to see more colors in the spectrum of sports.

The nationwide fitness movement is surging with vitality. By the end of 2024, China's per capita sports venue area reached three square meters; the regular exercise rate rose from 28.2 percent in 2007 to 37.2 percent in 2023; the qualified national fitness level improved by 3.3 percentage points over 20 years; life expectancy reached 79. A vivid picture of a sports powerhouse and "Healthy China" is being drawn in tandem with public fitness.

Grassroots sporting events are flourishing. From the northern grasslands to southwestern villages, from Lingnan water towns to coastal cities, the enthusiasm of local people for community sporting events is unleashed on every field and street. The booming Jiangsu provincial community football isn't just a platform for football drills - it's a vibrant showcase of regional character. The Village BA, now gaining international attention, not only reflects the spirit of rural revitalization, but also fosters cultural exchanges and mutual learning.

Players compete in a Jiangsu provincial football league match in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu Province, on June 15, 2025. Photo: VCG

The spirit of sports coalesces power. At the Paris Olympics, words like "national honor is always above personal honor," and "I dedicate this gold to my great motherland" moved hearts; that patriotism and determination to bring honor to the nation stirred people forward. When badminton player He Bingjiao held up the National Olympic Committee badge of her opponent, who withdrew due to injury, and then marched onto the podium, that respect won the world's acknowledgment.

From "looking up at the world" to "looking the world in the eye," our gaze at gold has become more composed; our vision is now directed toward the world, and our confidence has grown. The values of sports that transcend competition nurture great spiritual strength, gathering momentum to realize the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

"We do not judge heroes by wins and losses, but heroes must dare to strive for the forefront and the top." Today, we no longer take the quantity of gold medals as the sole metric of success or failure - but the heart to never give up and to fight with all one's might remains intensely ablaze!

The story was originally published in Chinese in the People's Daily on June 12. life@globaltimes.com.cn