This photo taken from an helicopter on July 26, 2024 shows an aerial view of the Eiffel Tower and the Olympics Rings lightened up during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France. (Photo by Lionel Bonaventure/POOL/Xinhua)

China's top sports official on Tuesday hailed the country's athletes historic performance at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

China secured 40 gold, 27 silver, and 24 bronze medals at the Paris Olympics, marking the country's best ever performance at an overseas Olympic Games. Chinese athletes also set one world record and nine Olympic records.

"The Chinese sports delegation achieved breakthroughs across multiple dimensions, including the number of gold medals, the variety of events in which gold was won, and the number of gold medalists, showcasing a further enhancement in the overall strength of our competitive sports," Gao Zhidan, president of the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC), said at a review meeting held in Beijing.

Gao, also head of the General Administration of Sport of China, noted that, while Chinese athletes continued to shine in traditionally strong sports, such as table tennis, diving, shooting, and weightlifting, major breakthroughs were also made in tennis, swimming and boxing. Additionally, Chinese athletes showcased great potential in emerging sports, such as climbing, skateboarding, surfing, and breaking.

Gao highlighted several standout performances, including Pan Zhanle's world record in the men's 100m freestyle and Zhang Yufei's remarkable achievement of winning medals in all six of her events. Zheng Qinwen became the first Asian to win an Olympic tennis singles title, while skateboarder Zheng Haohao, the youngest member of the Chinese delegation, also made a mark.

Gao emphasized that Chinese athletes fully embodied the spirit of both Chinese sports and the Olympic movement at the Paris Games.

"Our athletes demonstrated grace in victory and resilience in defeat," Gao said. "Even when they didn't win gold medals, they maintained their confidence and positivity. Many athletes also courageously spoke out against unfair treatment, showcasing the strength and confidence of Chinese youth."

According to Gao, a total of 154 Chinese athletes across 35 different disciplines underwent 220 doping tests, all of which returned negative results.

Gao also sounded a warning concerning a decline in the performances of China's teams in "three big ball games", namely football, basketball and volleyball, and some events where results fell short of expectations.

"Looking ahead to the Los Angeles Olympics, we need to strengthen our sense of urgency, plan proactively, and systematically prepare for the new Olympic cycle. Once we step off the podium, everything starts from zero," he said. 

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