Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily (Reporter Wang Jingjing and Huang Xing) news: On the day of competing for the Chinese National Indoor Athletics Championships on March 31, 2024, Alixier Wurmer showed the audience the relaxing status at the starting line, the confident gesture in a sprint finish, as well as the enjoying expression when winning the game. In a stunning display at the Chinese National Indoor Athletics Championships, China's Xinjiang athlete Alixier Wurmer clinched the 400m gold with a time of 45.79 seconds.

His bravo performance is just like his handsome appearance, attracting all the attention. At the age of 17, he became the hottest star in China's 400-meter sprint.

A Xinjiang young athlete shining in China's 400-meter sprint

In June 2023, Shiliuyun/Xinjiang Daily launched reports such as the 17-year-old Xinjiang sprinter breaking the record in the Xinjiang Story column, which first turned the spotlight on Alixier Wurmer, a new star in track and field from Xinjiang. Since March this year, as Alixier broke national records one after another, his handsome face and excellent performance have attracted the attention of hundreds of media outlets such as People's Daily and Xinhua News Agency. He has been known and loved by more and more people.

Do you know what it means to run the 400m with a time of 45.79 seconds? It means when the clock ticks one time, he would run 8.69 meters! It also means that he has to run for 400 meters at a 100-meter sprint speed of within 11.5 seconds through the whole course, which requires extraordinary anaerobic endurance. 400m runners need to maintain a high anaerobic process ratio while running to achieve better results. Simply put, it means that athletes have reached their physical limits in the latter half of running 400 meters, especially when the final 100-meter sprint is almost completed in anaerobic conditions. Some even joke, "Running 400 meters for a professional athlete is like going through hell."

The men's 400m is a weak spot, which makes Chinese athletes is like the panda in world competitions such as the Olympics and World Championships. Now, all Chinese are exhilarated with the staring runner on this track.

The time of 45.79 seconds also broke the national indoor men's 400m sprint record set by Alixier himself more than half a month ago. Prior to this, this national indoor record had been kept for nearly 17 years. At the same time, he also became the first athlete in Chinese history and the third in Asian history to run within 46 seconds in the 400 meter indoor race.

In less than two years of professional training, this young man has grown all the way, breaking various records throughout Xinjiang and the country. Under the age of 18, he is expected to represent China and even Asia on the world track and field stage, thanks to his amazing talent, scientific training, and diligent self-discipline.

But for Alixier, there are still challenges ahead, including reaching for the world's top results.

The qualification for the men's 400m sprint at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is 45.00 seconds, which is 0.1 seconds slower than that of the Tokyo Olympics. Even though, it is still faster than China's record. In general, because of the difference of the venue, athletes in outdoor races tend to achieve better results than in indoor races. In a few more days, Alixier will go to Dubai to participate in the Asian Youth Athletics Championships. We will see his performance in outdoor competitions.

Photo shows Alixier secures the 400m gold with a time of 45.79 seconds, which makes him the first athlete in Chinese history and the third in Asian history to run within 46 seconds in the 400 meter indoor race. (File photo)

Xinjiang, a fertile land of cultivating athletes

Alixier was born in Baicheng County, Aksu Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang. Born to be puny, he became strong and tough under the precious and good care of his mother. In junior high school, he stood out in the school sports meetings and was noticed by his mentor Wang Jizhong. He was regarded as a talented kid with better forward capability.

At the beginning of 2022, in accordance with the requirements of the General Administration of Sport of the People's Republic of China, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Sports Bureau launched a plan to select suitable students aged 15 to 18 in 22 counties and cities of Xinjiang, with endurance being the core physiological indicator.

A total of 746 students were selected at the first stage, among which 96 students stayed according to the comprehensive data. Alixier is very special among these 96 students. He is a rare 400m runner due to his combined explosive power, body muscle ratio, and endurance level.

During that period, Alixier was highly regarded by Zhang Yang, the coach of the Sports Training Brigade of Sports Bureau of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Under the guidance of the coach, he made rapid progress in more than a year of professional sprint training.

Many athletes from the same period as Alixier were selected for endurance events such as speed skating, long-distance running, cycling, cross-country skiing, and rowing.

Xinjiang has always been a fertile land of sports talents in China. Cross-over selection of talents pool for multi sports events has enabled many young athletes from Xinjiang to stand out in basketball, football, ice and snow, athletics and other events. Bayani Jialin, the gold medalist of cross-country-skiing Women's Team Sprint Classic event at the 14th National Winter Games, once was a track and field athlete, and later was selected to cross-country skiing in 2017.

Since the end of 2021, the Sports Bureau of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has conducted on-site tests on body shape, physical function, physical fitness, and other aspects in 150 schools of 22 counties and cities in 14 prefectures and cities throughout Xinjiang, aiming to find suitable athletes for sports development of China. In the future, there may be more outstanding players like Alixier shining in various events.

Photo shows Alixier Wurmar with the head coach of sprint Zhang Yang (the first from right) and his fitness coach Abdulwaili Abdulkadil on the training field of the Sports Training Brigade of Sports Bureau of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (File photo)

China will see more outstanding athletes from Xinjiang

Sports for all is the foundation for competitive sports. The exciting and diverse competitive sports attract more people's attention to sports, laying the foundation of competitive sports.

Track and field sports is the first ladder to other various events. Sports training helps students develop self-discipline and strong willpower, which not only enhances their overall quality but also boosts their courage to rise to the occasion in school.

"To hold the Xinjiang Youth Athletics Championships every year, with young men and women from all places in Xinjiang actively joining in, we have the opportunity to discover talented athletes, as well as attract young people, schools, and parents to track and field events, allowing more people to participate in this sport," said Xiao Yuegui, deputy captain of the Sports Training Brigade of the Sports Bureau of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

In January of this year, the 2024 Xinjiang "Sports Lottery Cup" Duowei Youth Indoor Athletics Championships was held, with a total of 673 participants, an increase of 373 from 2023. "We didn't expect this large amount of participants. If there is no upper limit, the number of applicants will only be greater," said Xiao Yuegui. According to her, it proves that Xinjiang attaches great importance to physical training with this amount of participants. She said that the emergence of outstanding Xinjiang athletes like Alixier, to a certain extent, is an inevitable result of the increasingly solid foundation of Xinjiang's track and field sports.

Alixier's favorite athlete is Su Bingtian, the first Chinese to enter the Olympic men's 100m final, who broke the Asian record with a time of 9.83 seconds in the men's 100m semi-finals of the Tokyo Olympics. "Standing on the podium of the Olympics is my dream." He always knew that he was built for 400-meter sprint event. As a teenager, he has set his goal on Los Angeles in four years and Brisbane in eight years. One thing we know for sure is that more children like Alixier will surely love sports.

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