体坛英语新闻：Chinese athletics target one gold at Rio Olympics or 2015 worlds

BEIJING, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese athletic team has set a goal of four medals, including one gold, from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, said a Chinese athletic official here on Wednesday.

Feng Shuyong, deputy director of the Chinese Athletics Administrative Center, revealed the medal target on a meeting, adding that China also eyes the top eight finishes in 8-10 athletic events.

"The new Olympic cycle is very important for the Chinese athletics team. As long as we catch the opportunity, we will get great progress. Otherwise, China's athletics will be plunged into its lowest level," Feng said.

To realize the goal, the Chinese athletic team plans to hire more foreign coaches, add eight events to the "important event list", and train more backup athletes.

Chinese track and field athletes demonstrated some eye-catching performances in 2013. Star sprinter Zhang Peimeng equaled his own national record in the heats of World Championships in Moscow and then improved the record to 10.00 seconds in the semifinal, narrowly missing the final by a margin of 0.009 seconds.

"We believe that Zhang's 10.00-second result is just a beginning, not an ending. It will not be long for Chinese to break the record," said Feng.

However, Feng admitted that not a single Chinese track and field athlete can guarantee a gold medal by now both in the World Championships and in the Rio Olympics.

"It won't be an easy task to secure a gold medal in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and the 2015 World Championships," he added.