On August 11th, the Paris Olympics came to a successful close.
8月11日，巴黎奥运会圆满结束！
The Paris Games have captivated global attention over the past few days, where Chinese athletes dazzled audiences with their excellent performances. Notably, Ningbo sent 10 players to the sports gala — Wang Shun, Shi Zhiyong, Yu Yiting, Wang Huan, Wang Chang, Lin Xinyu, Zeng Yingying, Yan Zheng, Zhou Yafei, and Kong Yaqi. These talented individuals competed in eight major events: swimming, weightlifting, water polo, badminton, triathlon, breaking (breakdancing), sailing, and sport climbing. As such, Ningbo reached a record high in the number of participants and events represented at the Olympics.
连日来，全球的目光聚焦巴黎奥运会。宁波籍选手汪顺、石智勇、余依婷、王欢、王昶、林鑫瑜、曾莹莹、闫铮、周娅菲、孔雅琪等10人，参加游泳、举重、水球、羽毛球、铁人三项、霹雳舞、帆船帆板、攀岩等8个大项的角逐，参赛人数及参赛项目均创宁波奥运历史新高。
The Ningbo athletes took on every challenge with fearless determination. Shining brightly on the world stage, they captured moments of passion and triumph with their strength and courage.
宁波运动健儿们无畏挑战、永不言弃，在赛场上绽放光芒，用实力和勇气定格了一个个激情燃烧的精彩瞬间。
In the end, Ningbo swimmer Yu Yiting clinched a bronze medal in the women’s 4×100m freestyle relay, marking China’s first-ever Olympic medal in this event and the first medal claimed by Ningbo athletes at the Paris Olympics. The glory was extended with another two bronze medals secured by swimmer Kong Yaqi and Wang Shun in the women’s 4×200m freestyle relay and the men’s 200m individual medley, respectively. Moreover, Ningbo Shuttler Wang Chang brought home a silver medal with his partner Liang Weikeng in badminton men’s doubles event.
最终，余依婷获得巴黎奥运会女子4×100米自由泳接力铜牌，这是中国队在该项目上的首枚奥运会奖牌，也是本届奥运会宁波运动员获得的首枚奖牌。孔雅琪在女子4×200米自由泳接力项目获得铜牌。汪顺夺得游泳男子200米个人混合泳铜牌。中国组合梁伟铿/王昶夺得羽毛球男双银牌。
The Olympics represent more than just victory; they symbolize the enduring spirit of sportsmanship. The stories that unfold during the Games go far beyond the medals.
奥运会不仅是体育竞技的展示，更是体育精神的象征。奥运的故事里，不止奖牌。
In the early hours of August 3rd (Beijing time), the veteran swimmer Wang Shun, a two-time Olympic gold medalist from Ningbo, won the bronze in the men’s 200m individual medley with a time of 1:56.00. This was Wang’s fourth Olympic appearance, making him the first male swimmer in Chinese history to compete in the Olympics at the age of 30.
北京时间8月3日凌晨，宁波“老将”、两届金牌得主汪顺在男子200米混合泳决赛中，以1分56秒00的成绩勇夺铜牌。这是汪顺的第四次奥运之旅，同时他也是中国游泳历史上第一位30岁征战奥运会的男子运动员。
Immaturity and inexperience have given way to sophistication in Wang’s performance. Yet, his unwavering dedication and determination have remained unchanged throughout his career. His four Olympic journeys stand as a testament to his fight against time as well as beyond limits, and his embodiment of the Olympic spirit.
出道时青涩稚嫩的小伙，已然蜕变成游泳队中的“老大哥”。不变的是汪顺心里全力以赴、永远向前的信念。四届奥运的故事，是对时间的挑战、对自我极限的突破、对奥运精神的最好诠释。
In the early morning of August 9th (Beijing time), Shi Zhiyong — a two-time Olympic champion — missed out on a medal in the men’s 73kg weightlifting final after his failure in all three of his clean and jerk attempts. “I feel like I’ve let down the Chinese weightlifting team. Everyone believed in me and gave me the best support, but I failed to medal,” expressed Shi who kept fighting back tears.
北京时间8月9日凌晨，巴黎奥运会举重男子73公斤级决赛上，石智勇三次挺举失败，无缘奖牌。走出赛场，这位两届奥运会冠军哽咽表示，“对不起中国举重队，大家一直很信任我，给了我最好的保障，但我没能做出贡献。”
In response to his self-blame, supportive messages from netizens across the country flooded the athlete’s Weibo account at 4 a.m. that day: “You haven’t let anyone down. Staying on the Olympic stage itself has already made you the best!” “No need to apologize. To us, you’re a legend and a champion! Take care and keep going!”
凌晨4点，全国各地的网友来到石智勇的微博评论区下留言，暖心回复刷不到头：“你没有对不起任何人，你能站在奥运的比赛场上，已经是最棒的了！”“不用说对不起，在我们心中你就是传奇，就是冠军！好好养伤，加油！”
On August 9th (Beijing time), 32-year-old Chinese athlete Xu Shixiao — a newly-enrolled doctoral student of Ningbo University — along with her partner Sun Mengya, successfully defended their Olympic title in the women’s canoe sprint double 500m event. The pair set a new personal best of 1 minute and 52.81 seconds at the Paris Olympics.
北京时间8月9日，在2024年巴黎奥运会皮划艇静水项目女子500米双人划艇决赛中，32岁的中国选手、宁波大学2024级博士研究生徐诗晓携手搭档孙梦雅以1分52秒81的新的最好成绩卫冕冠军。
Xu’s journey is truly inspiring. After retiring in 2013, she shifted to the corporate world and began a promising career until 2017 when the International Olympic Committee added the women’s canoe sprint double 500m event to the Tokyo Olympics. Xu felt the call of duty ― she quit her executive position with determination and courage and returned to the sport she loved. Her comeback was a success — Xu and Sun won gold at the Tokyo Olympics in August 2021, breaking the event’s Olympic record. Now, standing on the Olympic podium once again in Paris, Xu is a powerful reminder that when it comes to pursuing dreams, neither age nor gender can hold you back.
2013年，徐诗晓退役，随后她在企业开始了自己的第一份工作。2017年，国际奥委会将女子500米双人划艇列入东京奥运会的比赛项目，面对祖国的召唤，徐诗晓毅然放弃高管的工作，重新复出。2021年8月，徐诗晓/孙梦雅获得东京奥运会女子500米双人划艇项目冠军，并打破该项目的奥运会记录。如今，徐诗晓再次站上奥运会最高领奖台，用自身经历证明，在梦想面前，年龄、性别都不是问题。
In recent years, the booming sports industry has become a standout symbol of the city’s energy and ambition. The Chinese Olympic Committee named Ningbo the “City of Olympic Champions.” in 2022. Last year, the city not only hosted the sailing, windsurfing, and beach volleyball events for the 19th Asian Games with great success, but also produced athletes who earned an impressive tally of 15 gold, 7 silver, and 1 bronze medals — a historic high for Ningbo in both medal count and participation. The sport powerhouse stepped up this momentum by hosting major international events, including the Badminton Asia Championships, the Women’s Volleyball Olympic Qualification Tournament, and the WTA 250 Ningbo Open. Ningbo continually cemented that honorable title as seen in its successful bid to host 2025 International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup and the 2026 World Weightlifting Championships.
近年来，宁波体育蓬勃发展，已成为一张靓丽的城市名片。2022年，宁波被中国奥委会命名为“奥运冠军之城”。去年，宁波高质量办好第19届亚运会帆船帆板和沙滩排球赛事，培养输送的体育健儿在亚运会上取得15金7银1铜的优异成绩，金牌数、奖牌数和参赛人数均创历史之最。同时还圆满举办了亚洲羽毛球锦标赛、女排奥运资格赛、WTA250宁波网球公开赛等国际顶级赛事，成功申办2025年射击世界杯、2026年世界举重锦标赛，进一步擦亮了“奥运冠军之城”金名片。