Lan Xingyu from China celebrated his gold medal victory on the still rings at the World Championships in Rotterdam on Saturday. This triumph signifies his return to the pinnacle of the sport, as he had previously claimed the title in 2021 and secured a third-place finish last year. Following the competition, the athlete shared his reflections on this significant achievement.
Reflections on the Title
After regaining his title on the still rings, five years since earning gold at the 2021 Worlds in Kitakyushu and one year after taking bronze at the 2025 Worlds in Jakarta, Lan expressed his feelings.
“It’s true that the time spent away from the spotlight can be quite long. For an athlete, that can be incredibly difficult to endure, as things rarely go smoothly. Winning today brings me a lot of joy, but, more importantly, it’s a huge boost to my state of mind.”
Preparation and Mindset
Lan elaborated on the adjustments he made to his mindset for the final in Rotterdam, discussing his preparation techniques.
“Actually, ever since my setback last year, I’ve been preparing by gathering experience. For instance, as soon as the competition start list was released, showing exactly when the first-place and second-place athletes were scheduled to compete, I incorporated that into my training. Last year, I didn’t have as much time to prepare for the specific timing. I finished first in qualifications, but by the time the final arrived, the situation was quite different. The venue staff didn’t allow athletes to stay on the field for long, so I ended up waiting for about two hours before my turn. Being the first one up after such a long wait made me quite nervous. This time, I made sure to do plenty of warm-ups and preparation. Since I was the first to compete again, and the wait was quite long, I had to be very mindful of how I managed my state, and adjusted accordingly.”
He underscored the significance of technical execution in his training regimen.
“I’m focusing on ensuring the technical execution – the ‘specs’ of the movement – are much better.”
As he looks ahead to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, Lan reiterated his commitment to preparing for future competitions.
“I’ll certainly be dedicating the next two years to preparing for that goal. For now, I’m focused on securing a win at next year’s world championship, taking it one step at a time.”
