Erinome: Hello dear friends! Welcome to our podcast. Today Enceladus and I will talk about the 2025 National Games in China. It’s very exciting, right?
Enceladus: Yeah! I heard it’s held in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau together. So many great sports! What should we talk about first?
Erinome: Let’s start with track and field first! You know the "China Flying Man" Su Bingtian? His final career race is here!
Enceladus: Oh! Su Bingtian! I remember him from the Tokyo Olympics. He ran so fast! What happened there?
Erinome: In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics men’s 100m semi-finals, he ran 9.83 seconds and got first place to enter the final. Even he got 6th in the final, people call him a hero!
Enceladus: Wow! 9.83 seconds! That’s amazing. But why is this National Games his final race?
Erinome: Sad news… He had injuries after Tokyo. This April, he ran 10.49 seconds in a race. He said, “I really can’t run anymore.” He can’t reach the 10.11 seconds standard for 100m, so he won’t run 100m alone.
Enceladus: Oh no, that’s sad. But he will still join the games, right?
Erinome: Yes! He will run the men’s 4x100m relay for Guangdong team. This is his last race in his career.
Enceladus: I hope he and his team can have a good race. Any other track stars to watch?
Erinome: Wu Yanni! She’s a women’s hurdles athlete. People are watching her too. When is the track and field competition?
Enceladus: The track and field is from November 12th to 20th. The 4x100m relay final is on November 20th. I must watch that day!
Erinome: Me too! Now let’s talk about table tennis. It’s so popular in China. Any big matches?
Enceladus: Oh yes! The men’s singles final is on November 16th. Fan Zhendong vs Lin Shidong!
Erinome: Fan Zhendong is a big star, right? How did he get to the final?
Enceladus: He beat Wang Chuqin 4-2 in the semi-finals. It was a tough match, he was behind but changed his plan and won!
Erinome: Wow, he’s strong. What about Lin Shidong?
Enceladus: He’s young! He beat Yuan Licen 4-1, first time in National Games singles final. He made Hainan table tennis history! That’s cool!
Erinome: Oh nice! What about women’s singles?
Enceladus: The final is also on November 16th: Sun Yingsha vs Wang Manyu. They are called “Haichan Sisters”, good friends and rivals!
Erinome: How did they get to the final?
Enceladus: Wang Manyu beat Chen Meng 4-0, very easy! Sun Yingsha was 0-1 behind, then won 4 games in a row. She was more果断 (guoduan) in key points, you know?
Erinome: Oh right! Chen Meng is a good player too. So the women’s final will be exciting!
Enceladus: For sure! What about team matches?
Erinome: The men’s team 4 strong are out! Beijing, Guangdong, Shanghai, Heilongjiang. Then Beijing and Shanghai will play the final!
Enceladus: Oh! Beijing beat Guangdong 3-0, Shanghai beat Heilongjiang 3-0. Fan Zhendong helped Shanghai win, right?
Erinome: Yes! He played 5 games and beat Liang Jingkun 3-2. So cool! What about women’s team?
Enceladus: Hebei and Shandong are in the final! Hebei beat Heilongjiang 3-0, Shandong beat Shanghai 3-2. Sun Yingsha played for Hebei, Chen Meng for Shandong.
Erinome: So many stars in team matches! When is the team final?
Enceladus: I think it’s after the singles. The National Games has so many matches. Oh, and the medal list! Shandong is leading now, Guangdong and Zhejiang are fighting, Jiangsu is catching up!
Erinome: That’s exciting. All athletes work so hard. What do you think about Su Bingtian’s last race?
Enceladus: I will watch it for sure. Even if it’s not 100m alone, relay is team work. I hope his team can win, and he can end his career happily.
Erinome: Me too. Sports teach us about hard work and never giving up. Like Su Bingtian, even with injuries, he still tries his best.
Enceladus: Yeah! And young players like Lin Shidong, they are the future. Table tennis, track and field… all sports are great.
Erinome: Okay, friends. The 2025 National Games has so many wonderful matches. Let’s watch and support our athletes!
Enceladus: That’s it for today. Thanks for listening. Bye!
