China's Xue Fei wins the women's 5000m at the Asian Games (© Getty Images)
China has a very strong tradition of producing world class distance runners and Xue Fei’s uncanny ability of stealing major races in the final lap could well see her emerge as the next big name from the world’s most populous nation.
In August this year, the 17-year-old out-sprinted a field that consisted of two Kenyans and two Ethiopians to take victory in the 5000m at the World Junior Championships in Beijing.
And at the 15th Asian Games here in Doha last night, she nearly replicated the sequence first tucking behind Bahrain’s pace-setter Nadia Ejjafini and then kicking 50m before the finish line to take victory in the 5000m race ahead of Japan’s race-favourite Kayo Sugihara.
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“We (herself and her coach) planned this tactic before the race,” she commented on her race strategy in Doha. “I decided that I was going to stick by my plan no matter what happened.”
Xue Fei maybe only in her second year of professional competition and has virtually not competed outside her country, but her middle distance running tactics and her leg speed (4:22.47 PB for the 1500m) proved too much for her opponents, who had little answer to her breathtaking speed.
“I actually run faster in the final lap of a 5000m race than when I run a 400m race in training,” she confirms.
Junxia the inspiration
Born in the Shantong province, south east of the capital Beijing, Xue Fei was first inspired to take up the sport from the example set by 1996 Olympic 5000m gold and 10,000m silver medallist and former World 10,000m record holder Wang Junxia win gold in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
“I started running (as a seven year-old) after seeing her (Wang) win in Atlanta,” Xue Fei says. “I would often hear her name as a child and I admired her strength. But I started training after seeing her in Atlanta.”
Despite her words of admiration, Fei has never met Junxia (who is in Doha as an anchor for China’s CCTV), but hopes to do so soon. “I want to hear her advice on training and competition,” she said. “She means so much to me.”
Fei who has a personal best of 15:20.44 for 5000m which she set in Shanghai on 23 September, started running at school in her home province and collected many honours in provincial competitions before selection to China’s team for the World Junior Championships on home soil this year.
Her victory over Kenya’s Jebet Kiplagat at the Chaoyang sport centre in August in her then personal best of 15:31.61 was one of the upset results of the championships, but Fei says there was no surprise.
“I had trained and planned for the World Juniors for a long time,” she says. “It was no unexpected. It was a tough race, but I was never in doubt of victory.”
I don’t have any weakness
And after taking victory in Doha, Fei feels that her time has come to jump into senior competition.
“I do not know if I have any weaknesses. I know I have to continue to train hard, but I am ready for any competition.”
Like virtually every athlete, Xue Fei’s next goal is to take part in the World Championships in Osaka next year, but says it is just a step towards gold in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
“Next year, Osaka is the big challenge and I hope to win a medal there, but my big goal is winning gold in the Beijing Olympics. After winning in Doha, I am full of hope.”
High tide of Chinese success
Xue Fei’s performance in Doha is certainly good news for China’s Olympic medal hopes with less than two years to go before the Olympics are held on their soil, and she believes that her country is slowly returning back to dominating form in the long distance running events.
“China has been in a period of low tide. I am now confident that we can regain our place. We can do better in the middle and long distance running events. I am confident we can return to the top.”
Elshadai Negash for the IAAF