Photo: VCG

When the 2026 World Athletics Diamond League stop in Keqiao, Shaoxing, East China's Zhejiang Province, concluded during the weekend, Chinese athletes were absent from the podium despite fielding 18 competitors.

For some observers, the results may have seemed disappointing, especially with the 2027 World Athletics Championships now less than a year away. Yet focusing solely on medal counts misses the broader significance of these appearances. 

For China's track and field athletes, competing regularly against the world's best is not a setback. It is an essential step toward future success.

The World Athletics Diamond League series, the highest-profile annual circuit in the sport outside of world championships and the Olympics, brings together Olympic champions, world champions and record holders, making it a fierce competitive field. 

For emerging Chinese athletes, such events provide something no domestic competition can replicate: direct exposure to the speed, precision and mental intensity required to contend at the highest level.

China has made steady progress in athletics over the past two decades. Athletes such as shot putter Gong Lijiao and sprinter Su Bingtian did not reach the top overnight. Their success stories were built on years of competing internationally and repeatedly confronting the standards set by the world's elite.

Gong became China's first Olympic gold medalist in athletics field events when she won the women's shot put at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, while her career includes more than a decade of appearances at world championships and Diamond League meetings before she reached the summit.

Su followed a similar path. Before becoming the first Asian-born athlete to break the 10-second barrier in the men's 100 meters and later clocking 9.83 seconds in the Olympic semifinal in Tokyo, he spent years testing himself on the international circuit. It reflects that progression from continental contender to global finalist.

Their experiences underline a simple truth: Elite performance is forged through repeated competition at the elite level.

This is especially important because athletics development is rarely linear. Athletes often endure seasons in which progress appears stagnant, or even regresses, before technical adjustments and accumulated experience lead to sudden breakthroughs.

A Chinese athlete who finishes sixth or eighth in a Diamond League event may not attract headlines, but such performances can be more valuable than dominating lower-level meets. Racing alongside world champions teaches athletes how to handle pre-race pressure, adjust tactics and maintain composure under the spotlight.

That lesson is particularly relevant as China prepares to host the 2027 World Championships in Beijing. Home advantage can inspire memorable performances, but only if athletes are already accustomed to competing under world-class conditions.

The challenge is not only physical. When social media attention can create distractions, sustained improvement still depends on disciplined training and honest self-assessment. International competition provides the clearest benchmark. The stopwatch and measuring tape offer an objective standard that no amount of online popularity can replace.

China's lack of podium finishes in Keqiao should therefore be viewed with perspective. Rather, it reflects the reality that most Chinese athletes are still in the process of closing the gap with the sport's global leaders.

That process will continue this week at the Diamond League meet in Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province, where Chinese athletes will once again test themselves against the strong fields in the world.

Not every race will produce a medal. Not every season will deliver a breakthrough. But if China hopes to see its athletes on the podiums at future major competitions, there is no substitute for standing on the same starting line, runway or throwing circle as the very best.

The podium may remain just out of reach for now. Yet with every international appearance, Chinese athletes move one step closer to it.

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. life@globaltimes.com.cn