PARIS, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese rhythmic gymnasts made history to win the country's first Olympic group all-around gold medal in Paris on Saturday.
China's team of Guo Qiqi, Hao Ting, Huang Zhangjiayang, Wang Lanjing and Ding Xinyi scored a total of 69.800 points in the two rotations, 36.950 in five hoops and 32.850 in three ribbons plus two balls during the final at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena, securing the first place among eight teams.
Israel took the silver in 68.850 while Italy scooped bronze with 68.100.
"We have waited a long time for this moment to win Olympic gold. Our last group all-around medal was silver in the Beijing 2008. I am so happy that after so many years of hard work we have finally achieved a good result," said coach Sun Dan after the final.
This is the first time a team from outside Europe has won Olympic gold in the rhythmic gymnastics team all-around since the event was introduced at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Sun highlighted the culture factor of the team's routine at the post-match press conference.
"We want to showcase Chinese art and style. We hope that more people can better understand Chinese culture through our performances," she said.
Sun, a member of China's squad at Beijing 2008, also noted the challenges on their journey to Paris, mainly the age difference of the athletes, with the oldest at 26 and the youngest just 19.
It meant the veterans had to overcome their injures and sometimes had to work even harder to maintain their physical condition, she said.
China finished the fifth in qualifications held on Friday.
"The coaching team reviewed our performances after the qualification and mainly gave us encouragement," said Guo, who celebrated her 26th birthday on Wednesday.
"We were in a fighting spirit, aiming for a breakthrough, so there was nothing we needed to hold back," added Guo, who also competed at Tokyo 2020. "Our dream has come true this time!"
19-year-old Wang Lanjing, an Olympic debutant and China's youngest gymnast in Paris, said she was thrilled with the gold medal.
"We are very excited because we never thought we would win the gold. When we performed, we just did it for ourselves," said Wang.
