Long jumper eyes leap to Paris
Rising Chinese long jump star Zhang Mingkun said he is determined not to let the pressure get to him as he seeks qualification for the upcoming Paris Olympics. The 23-year-old said he is going to keep his mind at ease. “During a jump, your mind really goes blank. All you do is to enjoy it,” Zhang said.  The long jumper, who has a personal record of 8.13m, has been striving to reach the 8.27m entry standard for the Paris Games. He'll find out in about a month's time on whether his dream would come true. As for the rest of the track and field team, the sprinters have been training with a new foreign coach ahead of the Games, and they see the benefits. “Here, our training is relatively traditional... but it’s more scientific overseas,” said runner Wang Shuang from Jiangsu. Female sprinter Huang Ziting knows that the odds are against them, but reaching the Olympic stage remains the ultimate goal. “I’m certain every athlete would want to stand on the Olympic podium, but it feels like it would be more difficult for Asians [to achieve that],” she said. Another sprinter, Chen Jinfeng, said getting to Paris requires not only strong performances but a bit of luck as well.