What's wrong with Chinese women middle and long distance running?

The last national track and field meet before national games just ended in Jinan, where the 11th National Games will be held. Expectedly, most of the atheletes just took the chance to feel the newly built stadium and they just came here to "stroll and toss". Only a few good results were produced: e.g. Men's pole vault with both Liu Feiliang and Yang Yansheng past 5.70m, Gong Lijiao's 19.66m in women's shotput and Huang Xiaoxiao's 55.60 in women's 400m hurdle. A ridiculously slow race was seen in women's 5000m when Bai Xue won the race over 17min. 10000m was also disappointed as well. So, what's wrong with Chinese women's distance running after a glorius era?

From 1992 to 2004, China produced 1 bronze medalist in marathon, 1 Olympic champion and 1 silver medalist in 10000m, 1 Olympic Champion in 5000m, 1 Olympic bronze medalist in 1500m. From 1991 to 2005, China also produced 1 silver medalist in marathon, 1 world champion, 2 silver medalists and 2 bronze medalists in 10000m, 1 world champion, 1 silver medalist and 1 bronze medalist in 3000m and 1 world champion in 1500m.

In late 1980s, 2 rising long distance runners, Wang Xiuting and Zhong Huanti from Yunnan province started producing world class results in 10,000m. In 1991, they took everyone by surprise to take silver and bronze medal in Tokyo world championships. They also finished top 8 in the Olympics next year. In Barcelona Olympics 1992, a distance running force started to form from China. Ma Junren, a legendary figure in Chinese women distance running, had his 1st disciple win the 1st Olympics medal in women distance running as Qu Yunxia came in 3rd in 1500m. In the same year, his young disciples won all the distances from 800 to 10000m in Seoul world junior championships. In 1993, I think most people who concerns about athletics should know when the team coached by Ma (also called Ma's army) won 1500, 3000 and 10,000m in Stuggart world championships and they broke all these 3 world records in 7th Chinese National Games in outrageous manner. Qu Yunxia broke 1500m while Wang Junxia took the rest and these records are still intact after 16 years. With the rapid rise from Africa, there will be better opportunity for them to break 10,000m since they broke the 30min last year. After this mental barrier, faster and faster times will be seen from them but Wang's record was still like 20 seconds faster than their best. 3000m is the hardest since Wang's 8:06.11 was way too fast and not many runners nowadays can dip below 8:20. The possible reason is it is no longer raced in Olympics and world championships so their training is more focused on 5000 and 10000m. Qu's 1500m is also untouchable since 3:55 is considered the top time nowadays and Qu was at 3:50.46.

However, In late 1994 and early 1995, the winning team disintegraded due to Ma's harsh coaching. After that, Ma started fostering a new generation of runners which was shown form in 1995 city games when Jiang Bo broke the women's 5000m junior world record and beat Wang. Wang lost his top form after leaving Ma but she did not give up and started training under Mao Dezhen who just passed away a month ago. Under Mao's training, although Wang did not regain her WR-breaking form, she did manage to qualify for the Olympics and won the inaugural women's 5000m event and came in 2nd in 10,000m. In this period of training, Wang constantly suffered from serious headache and she cannot carry on any more training the following year for the 8th Chinese National Games. After she recovered, she did request training under Mao but he refused since there seemed to be a lot of conflicts after he took over Wang from Ma. In China, it is not easy to find a coach at your own will due to runner's registration to a particular unit or province. After 1996 Atlanta Olympics, she hung up her spikes forever and this considered a great ending for a distance runner like her.

In 1997, after no single runner from Ma's army qualified for the 1996 Olympics, he intended to repeat the WR-breaking wave in 8th Chinese National Games. His runners broke women's 5000m and ran several world number 1 times but the wave was way less stronger than that in 1993. In 1998, although his disciples won a couple of events in world junior championships, his magic was getting weaker. No single runner was selected to Bangkok Asian Games in the same year and 1999 Sevilla world championships. In 2000, he made his final effort to produce his own Olympic champion (which Wang was not considered) but they fell to EPO testing and only 1 survived the test. His only and final Olympic representative, Li Ji, finished 6th in Olympics. In 2001, he pulled off another 4 wins in 9th National Games and it was the end of his coaching. Now, he becomes a dog trainer.

In 2001 chinese national games, 2 great stars were produced: Xing Huina and Sun Yingjie. Sun has been in marathon scene for a couple of years and she made a breakthrough in shorter distance in 2001. Xing was only 17 years old that year and finished 2nd in 5000m with 14:56. Sun was training under Wang Dexian and Xing belongs to Shandong province. After Xing's performance in 2001, she was trained under Wang who became the national team coach in charge of women's distance running. In 2002, Sun produced a world number 2 time in 10000m and 2003, she won a bronze medal in world championships with Xing breaking world junior record. Xing then won the women's 10000m in 2004 Athen Olympics and Sun won the world half marathon title. 2005 was a turning point. Both of them could not medal in Helski world championships but finished considerably well. Later in 10th Chinese national games, Sun won the marathon and came in 2nd in 10,000m after Xing after a day or 2. However, she did not pass the drug test after 10,000m when she was ok after the marathon. It started a long struggle for Sun and Xing. Due to Sun's offence and the other offence from Wang's former runner, Wang was banned from coaching in any form in lifetime which means she can't coach both Xing and Sun. Sun was also banned for 2 years. The ugly past started to surface for Wang. Sun left Wang because she could not take Wang's controlling style and beating. A few of his former runners, also came out to sue him over the prize money and salaries he promised to give and the physical damage during training under him. In one case, one runner had her toe deformed so badly over years and years of harsh training without proper care from him. Among them, the most famous is Ai Dongmei who won Beijing marthon in late 1990s. She also ran a few international marathons in the past and google search should be able to find her marathon times.

After Sun dismissed his coach, Sun's team appointed another coach to Sun but with the injuries she had suffered over the years, her form has not been regained since. In 2008, she started racing again but the times she ran were far slower than her top times and she could not make it to the Olympics. Xing, also repeatedly suffered from old injuries in the last couple of years. For 2008 Olympics, she did try the last resort as she trained under Li Li, a Chinese coach whose disciples include Bernard Lagat, the double world champion in 2007. The training was in vain since Xing's injuries stopped her from the right track and she missed the Beijing Olympics.

In 2008 Olympics, a young generation was sent to race. world junior champion in 2006, Xue Fei, 19 yo, ran into 5000m final. Bai Xue, 20yo, and Zhang Yingying, 18 yo were competiting the 10000m. Without any experience, they both failed to make impact.

In 2007, we did see a ray of hope when many runners hit the Olympics A-qualifying marks in city games. A few of them like He Pan who did 15:09 chose to go to university and Liu Nian who broke the Asian record at 9:26 in 3000m steeplechase also retired for studing. Same for Song Xiaoxue who did 31:34 in 10000m. They all retired for higher education degree.

A few explanations were pointed out: Most of kids born after 1990 are single child and their parents would rather see them study than "running for life". Life of new generation is less bitter than their seniors who run to create a better future which obviously do not apply now. Since they have more options, why do they choose a hard one? Chinese sports is still like an industry type. Once they think you are a talent, they will mold you into the shape they think it is good. Furthermore, they probably only do one single thing most of the time: training, training and training. They have these sports school, provincial team and national team to mold you into the shape. What you do is to compete to come in 1st for the team and you will get rewards. After your peak is over or severe injuries, the only thing left for them is reality. There are so many bitter stories for sports champions who can't get a living after retirement. Like the runners from Ma's army, most of them are not doing so well currently after so many years. furthermore, University sports is still uncommon and incompetitive in china. Those athletes who competed in the national university games are mostly from the provincial or national teams who are just hanging the university brand names and probably never go to the school (may be exaggerating a little).

A ray of hope: When Hu Kai won men's 100m in 2005 universiade, a lot in China may think how to combine sports and eduation and take advantage of both of them. Hu is a real Qing Hua university student and he really goes to school for lecture. This case is still tip of the iceberg but I would say Chinese women distance running will probably be getting weaker with the current situation. Although there are still a lot of Chinese in hardship, there are more and more ways to make quick bucks in China. I think you know what I mean.