Despite a painful loss at Paris 202453kkk, Chinese veteran gymnast Xiao Ruoteng will keep fighting for his first Olympic gold in the future.

by Sportswriters Li Chunyu, Lu Xianting and Li Dian

PARIS, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- All medals claimed by Chinese gymnast Xiao Ruoteng over the past more than a decade are on display in a cabinet at his home in Beijing, but there is an empty place in the center, specially reserved for an Olympic gold.

However, the 28-year-old veteran failed to fill the gap at the Paris Olympics again and went back to China on Sunday. He noted "this is life" despite huge disappointment.

In the men's gymnastics team final on July 29, China was 3.267 points ahead of Japan prior to the last apparatus, horizontal bar. Xiao performed fairly with 13.433 points, but his teammate Su Weide's two falls surprisingly gave away the huge lead. China's Zhang Boheng scored 14.733 points at last, yet short of the score that was needed to catch up in the title contest.

"It's heartbroken53kkk, absolutely," Xiao shed tears after the painful loss. "There was a sense of mission. The team gold is the one that we wanted the most, but it just slipped through our fingers."

The Chinese gymnasts clearly knew that they should adjust their mindset quickly to prepare for the other events of the Games, but it was so hard to cheer up again with full energy. The veteran Xiao admitted, "I tried to be rational but simply couldn't get out of the negative emotions. The feeling was so strong."

The sadness lingered in everyone's mind even until the men's all-round final two days later. Xiao fought to the end and grabbed a bronze, while Japan's Shinnosuke Oka won the men's all-round champion, 0.233 points ahead of the silver medalist Zhang of China. After the competition, Xiao looked not quite upset with the outcome.

"In these days, I can hardly feel the taste when I was eating. Wherever I go, I just can't stop thinking of how close we were to the gold medal," said Xiao, who was enrolled in the national team at the age of 16. "I have given all out in the journey."

Injuries posed major challenges throughout his career. Xiao got a chance to make his Olympic debut at Rio 2016, but an elbow injury before the Games shattered his dream. While in the following two years, the young talent came back and claimed three world champions as a rising star.

At the Tokyo Olympics, Xiao narrowly missed the men's all-round gold and saw the hosts' Daiki Hashimoto stand atop the podium. Xiao had been ready to unfold the national flag in his hands and celebrate the victory, but the result turned out to be a silver for him.

The loss in Tokyo was converted into a motivation for Xiao to train even harder after an ankle surgery and improve himself both physically and mentally.

"I grew up faster in dealing with hardships in recent years, had a better understanding of the games, and accepted all the emotions," Xiao recalled. "I also stepped out of my comfort zone to learn completely new tricks, just for victories on the world stage."

Unfortunately, an injury once again occurred on his shoulder before the trip to Paris, but Xiao insisted on finishing the competition after temporary treatment, which was probably his last show at the Olympics.

Collecting two silver and three bronze medals in his two Olympic Games, Xiao was just one step away from the top, but never defeated by injuries, doubts and difficulties, becoming an iconic figure in Chinese gymnastics.

"The life will go on. I may participate in the next Olympics, perhaps in a different role, and continue to pursue the gold53kkk, the best in my life," he said.  ■