by sportswriters Yang Shenshen and Wang Haoming

GUANGZHOU, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- China's top sprinter and Asian men's 100m record holder Su Bingtian has embarked on a new journey after announcing his retirement earlier this month, bringing to a close an elite career that spanned more than two decades.

"Looking back, every footprint on the track carries sweat, tears, regret, and glory. Above all, I feel grateful," Su told Xinhua in a recent interview.

After a 21-year sprinting career defined by speed, Su now stands at a new starting line, ready to help others run faster.

"Goodbye, my dearest track," Su wrote in a post on Weibo. "You've witnessed my youth and shaped my will. In the future, I will continue walking alongside you in a different way."

A FAREWELL ON THE TRACK

Su ran his final race on November 20 at China's 15th National Games in Guangzhou, completing the last 100 meters of his professional career on home turf.

That evening at the Guangdong Olympic Sports Center, tens of thousands of spectators rose to their feet as Su walked off the track. As the Cantonese classic song "Can't Say Goodbye" echoed around the stadium, he took off his spikes and waved to the crowd.

"It's all memories now," Su said quietly later when he was shown some photos taken that night.

In the men's 4x100m relay final, Guangdong finished fourth, missing out on a podium place. "We wanted to run a better race," admitted Su. "But there were some issues with the baton exchange."

The farewell was not perfect, but it was enough for Su. Earlier that day, he had skipped the preliminary round due to physical concerns.

"I felt something unusual in my leg," he recalled. "I was afraid that if I ran the heats, I might not be able to take the track in the evening."

"What mattered most was finishing the race healthy, here at home. That was enough for me," he said.

In the stands that night were also Su's parents. "They've only watched me compete in person three times -- at the 2011 Summer Universiade in Shenzhen, in Eugene, the United States in 2018, and this final race," said Su. "My family has always supported me quietly. They never told me their worries, and I never told them about my injuries."

RUNNING THROUGH PAIN

Injuries are an athlete's natural enemy. Although Su avoided frequent problems, they still followed him throughout his 21-year career.

"My biggest problem was my lower back," he said. "It came every 10 years."

After winning the national men's 100m title in 2009 at just 19, Su was sidelined for about three months due to a serious injury.

He recovered and made steady progress, becoming the first Chinese sprinter to break the 10-second barrier, clocking 9.99 seconds at the Diamond League meet in Eugene in 2015. Three years later, he set a new Asian Games record of 9.92 seconds in Jakarta, Indonesia.

But setbacks followed again. In 2019, injuries effectively wiped out his season.

"I was very anxious at that time," said Su. "The Olympics were coming, and I was already 30. Time was running out to realize my dream."

Although he couldn't train properly, Su still went to Switzerland with the team to prepare for the Doha World Championships. On a day off, he sat alone at the starting line and posed a difficult question to himself.

"I asked myself: 'Su Bingtian, can you still run?'" recalled Su. "My heart answered very quickly: 'Yes, you can!' Just like a wounded bird, if it can get over the injury, it will fly again."

The "bird" did recover, and it flew even higher.

After more than 500 days without competition, Su returned in 2021 and soon delivered a performance that redefined the limits of Asian speed -- a stunning 9.83 seconds at the Tokyo Olympics.

"Looking back, the best mentor I ever had was my inner voice," said Su. "I often asked myself if I could keep going, if I could break through, if I could endure."

In the final years of his career, physical problems resurfaced. Despite his declining condition, Su kept pushing on. "No matter how hard, I must hold on until the 15th National Games," he said.

"It was stubbornness," commented Su. "If you stubbornly persist in doing one thing, you will succeed."

A NEW STARTING LINE

From the stadium where Su ran his final race to Jinan University, where he has taught since 2018, the distance is less than 10 kilometers. For Su, this path marks a new beginning filled with hope.

"When I joined the national team in 2009, the overall level of Chinese athletics was quite low," said Su. "But in this year's National Games, several athletes ran 10.1 seconds or slightly above. I believe Chinese sprinting will enter another stage in the next three to five years."

This year, Su became dean of the School of Physical Education at Jinan University in Guangzhou, where a training center bearing his name is dedicated to nurturing young sprinting talent through scientific and data-driven methods.

"We still have more important things to do," he said. "There are many young people who love athletics but never get the chance (bring out their full potential). I want to help them reach the stage and see what's possible."

Coming from a rural background himself, Su hopes to open doors for children from less-developed areas.

"I'm not trying to do something big," he said. "I just want to give more kids the chance to chase their dreams."

Though a veteran on the track, Su describes himself as a beginner in his new role. "On the 100-meter track, I'm just like a child who just steps onto the starting line." he said. ■