CCTV9英语新闻：Exclusive interview with Chen Yibing on Rio Olympics

As China's athletes are busy preparing for the games, one man who believes Rio will provide the platform for Chinese athletes to succeed is two-time Olympic gold medalist Chen Yibing. The retired gymnast will be in Brazil as a commentator and gave an insight into what it's like preparing for the pinnacle of an athletes career.

Two-time Olympic gold medalist looks back at career

His performance 8 years ago was described as "perfect" and "textbook-worthy" by commentators for his level of precision at such a high level of competition. 

In 2012 Chen, as the captain of his countries men's gymnastic team ,would lead them to a successful defence of their Olympic title in the Men's artistic all-around event. He decided to call it a day after that and looks upon his time at the global show piece in a mixed way.  



He said, "first it is a funny experience, because there are athletes from all over the world with different kinds of skin tones living together inside the Olympic village, but communication isn't affected by the language barrier.

It is also very challenging because for those of us who were participating in the Olympics, the pressure, the sense of achievement and the atmosphere during the competition is very stressful.

It is also a proud experience, especially when you can stand on top of the podium, that was the proudest moment for me and for those who supported me." 



As the time draws nearer, the anticipation for the games gets higher, but for this former athlete, it was all about concentration and discipline at this stage.



"Usually, during the 100-day countdown we were busy with closed training, which is the toughest training phase for athletes. Spectators are excited for the start, but the athletes feel more pressure. As clock counts down, they have to polish their techniques and deal with injury problems before the Olympics," said Chen.



During Chen's days competing as a gymnast, the athlete would travel all around the world to take part in events, and for him, Rio is a city that holds special memories.



Chen said, "I was in Brazil in 2005 and I think it has become a lucky place for me because the first time I won a World Cup title was in there. As for the upcoming Olympics, I think China is among the world's top groups, no matter what medals total we get. So in my opinion, as long as we can perform at a normal level, I believe we can get a really good result."



Although he's retired, Chen will be at the summer's Olympics as a commentator for gymnastics, taking a back seat and hoping his legacy will continue.