On August 11, alumnus Li Qian, a graduate of Sports Training from class of 2017, clinched Team China’s 39th gold medal in the women’s boxing 75kg final at the Paris Olympics, defeating Panama’s Belon. This marks the second time that an athlete from OUC has stood atop the Olympic podium, after alumnus Zhang Juanjuan from class of 2008 in the Sports Training Major won the gold medal in the women’s individual archery at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Having won a bronze and a silver respectively in the last two Olympic games, Li won gold medal at Paris Olympics, which makes her the first female boxer in Olympic history to get a medal in three consecutive Games.

In the initial round of this year’s competition, Li Qian defeated Hegi Baziyadan from Philippines with 5-0, before winning over India’s Lovlina Borgohain in the quarterfinals and Caitlin Parker from Australia in the semifinals. She maintained her composure in the final and secured the gold.

Earlier in the Olympic finals, OUC alumnus Yang Liu, a Sports Training graduate from class of 2016, won silver in the women’s boxing 66kg; Yang Wenlu, also a Sports Training graduate from class of 2017, earned silver in the 60kg final. Their fearless competition against formidable opponents and relentless efforts contributed significantly to the best Olympic performance of “3 golds and 2 silvers” for the China’s boxing team and brought honor to the country and glory to their alma mater.

At OUC, Li Qian, Yang Liu, and Yang Wenlu trained diligently, pushed boundaries relentlessly and won medals in many international competitions. Their outstanding performances at the Pairs Olympics fully demonstrated the spirit of perseverance and excellence of Chinese athletes, vividly illustrated the Olympic spirits and the pioneering spirit of OUC. This has deeply inspired OUC’s faculty, students, and alumni with pride and encouraged them to shoulder their missions with fortitude, strive to accelerate OUC’s development into a world-class university with distinctive features and make further contributions to China’s modernization drive and the great rejuvenation of the nation.