The end of a Su-perb era

Asia's fastest man and legendary sprinter, Su Bingtian, has left big shoes to fill after announcing his retirement on Tuesday, signing off on an illustrious career that defied odds and made history.

Su, the first and only Asian sprinter to reach an Olympic 100m final, officially announced hanging up his spikes in an emotional farewell letter posted on his Weibo account, exactly 21 years after he reported to a sports school in his home city of Zhongshan, Guangdong province on Dec 9, 2004, to kick-start his athletics training at the age of 15.

"From the starting block to the finishing line, it's been a 21-year sprint on the 100m track that comes with sweat, tears, regret and glory in each and every step of the way," the 36-year-old 100m Asian record holder said in the letter.

"Throughout my career, it wasn't always a smooth sail. All the technical, mental and physical challenges, including the wear and tear on my muscles, joints and legs, have been my closest comrade and toughest enemy.

"Yet, I pushed through with my stubborn persistence to prove that everything is possible," Su stated, reflecting on his achievement as the first Asian man to reach an Olympic 100m sprint final at Tokyo 2020 after clocking a continental record of 9.83s in the semis on Aug 1, 2021.

Standing 1.72 meters tall, Su was never considered a natural born talent in the brutally physical sprint discipline, where length of stride matters, with his early years in the national program overshadowed by another young prospect Zhang Peimeng, who became the first Chinese to reach 10.00 sec in an official meet at the 2013 worlds in Moscow.

Su's unique strength lay in his explosive starting technique and rapid stride frequency, significantly enhanced with the guidance of renowned American coach Randy Huntington, who helped his career take off, becoming the first Asian-born man to break the 10-sec barrier after clocking 9.99s at an IAAF Grand Prix in Eugene in June 2015.

Despite a one-year delay due to the pandemic, the Tokyo Games presented the red-hot Su a perfect stage to shine, with his breakthrough final appearance etched in history as one of the all-time greatest athletic feats in China, equaling legendary 110m hurdler Liu Xiang's groundbreaking gold medal at the 2004 Athens Games.

Spearheaded by Su, the Chinese team clocked a national record of 37.79 seconds in the 4x100m relay final at Tokyo 2020 to finish fourth but was upgraded to the bronze-medal position in May 2022, when the International Olympic Committee ruled to disqualify the runner-up Team GB for a doping violation.

No longer the strong starter that he was, Su, however, did his part in his final appearance on Nov 20 by helping his native provincial team Guangdong finish fourth in the 4x100m relay final at China's 15th National Games on his home track at the Guangdong Olympic Sports Center Stadium in Guangzhou.

Though he didn't qualify for the individual 100m race at the National Games, he said his body had sent him a clear signal that it was time to step away from the track.

"It's time to pass the baton to the younger generation. Watching them carry on with the momentum and continue pushing for new breakthroughs in Chinese athletics, I feel extremely proud," said Su, announcing his next chapter as a professor at the School of Physical Education at Jinan University in Guangzhou.

"And I will try to learn how to be a good dad as well," said Su, a father of two sons and a daughter.