- Born:
- August 29, 1989, Guzhen, Guangdong province, China (age 37)
- Awards And Honors:
- Asian Games
Su Bingtian
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Who is Su Bingtian?
Su Bingtian, born in Guzhen, Guangdong province, China, on August 29, 1989, is a Chinese track-and-field athlete. In 2015, he was the first Asian-born sprinter to run 100 meters in under 10 seconds.
Su's accomplishments include a gold medal in the 100 meters at the 2011 Asian Championships and a silver medal at the 2015 World Championships. At the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Su became the first Chinese athlete to qualify for the 100 meters finals. During the semifinals, he set a new Asian record with a time of 9.83 seconds.
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What sport does Su Bingtian compete in?
Su Bingtian is a Chinese track-and-field athlete who specializes in sprinting. In 2015, he became the first Asian-born sprinter to run 100 meters in under 10 seconds.
Throughout his career, Su has participated in the 100 meters and the 4 × 100-meter relay. In 2011, he won a gold medal in the 100 meters at the Asian Championships. At the 2020 Tokyo Games, Su set a new Asian record in the 100 meters with a time of 9.83 seconds.
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Which sprinting event is Su Bingtian best known for?
Su Bingtian is best known for sprinting, specifically in the 100 meters event. In 2015, he became the first Asian-born sprinter to run the 100 meters in under 10 seconds. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he was the first Chinese athlete to qualify for the 100 meters finals. During the semifinals, he set an Asian record with a time of 9.83 seconds. Although he finished sixth in the finals, he helped the 4 × 100-meter relay team win China's first relay medal, a bronze. He also won gold medals in the 100 meters and the 4 × 100-meter relay at the National Games in Xi’an in 2021.
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What major achievements has Su Bingtian made in athletics?
Su Bingtian is a Chinese track and field athlete, who achieved several milestones in his career. In 2015, he became the first Asian-born sprinter to run 100 meters in under 10 seconds. At the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Su won gold in the 100 meters with a time of 9.92 seconds. During the 2020 Tokyo Games, he set a new Asian record in the 100 meters with a time of 9.83 seconds, making him the first Chinese sprinter to reach the Olympic finals. Additionally, he helped the 4 × 100-meter relay team win China's first relay medal, a bronze.
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How did Su Bingtian make history at the Olympics?
Su Bingtian made history at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo (held in 2021) by becoming the first Chinese athlete to qualify for the 100-meter finals. During the semifinals, he set a new Asian record with a time of 9.83 seconds, breaking his own record of 9.91 seconds from 2018. This achievement also marked the first time in 89 years that an Asian runner had reached the Olympic 100-meter finals. In the finals, Su finished in sixth place with a time of 9.98 seconds. Additionally, he helped the 4 × 100-meter relay team win China's first relay medal, a bronze.
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What impact has Su Bingtian had on Chinese and Asian track and field sports?
Su Bingtian is a Chinese track and field athlete whose accomplishments have significantly impacted Chinese and Asian track and field sports. In 2015, he became the first Asian-born sprinter to run 100 meters in under 10 seconds. At the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Su was the first Chinese athlete to qualify for the 100-meter finals. In 2018, he won gold at the Asian Games in the 100 meters, and during the semifinals of the 100 meters at the 2020 Tokyo Games, he set a new Asian record with a time of 9.83 seconds. In addition to competing, Su became an associate professor at Jinan University in 2018.
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Su Bingtian (born August 29, 1989, Guzhen, Guangdong province, China) is a Chinese track-and-field athlete who in 2015 became the first Asian-born sprinter to run the 100 meters in under 10 seconds. At the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo (held in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic) Su became the first Chinese athlete to qualify for the finals in the 100 meters.
Early life and education
Su was born to a family of farmers in Guzhen, a town on the outskirts of the city of Zhongshan in Guangdong province in southern China. He began sprinting at a young age and was placed in a sports school to develop his running skills.
Su began attending Jinan University in Guangdong province in 2009 and studied international economics and trade. He graduated with a master’s degree in 2017.
Athletic career
Su began seeing results from his training in 2009 in the 4 × 100-meter relay. That year his team placed second at the Asian Championships in Guangzhou, China. The next year his team won the gold medal at the Asian Games in Guangzhou. In 2011 Su received the gold medal in the 100 meters at the Asian Championships in Kōbe, Japan, with a time of 10.21 seconds. Later that year, at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF; now World Athletics) World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, his relay team came in sixth place.
At the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London Su made it to the semifinals in the 100 meters, finishing in 22nd place with a time of 10.28 seconds. Su also raced in the 4 × 100-meter relay, and his team came in 12th place.
Over the next few years Su steadily lowered his time in the 100 meters and continued to compete in the 4 × 100-meter relay. Notable finishes included a silver medal in the 100 meters and a gold medal in the 4 × 100-meter relay at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, and a gold medal in the relay at the 2015 Asian Championships in Wuhan, China. Also in 2015 the relay team finished with a silver medal at the World Championships in Beijing. In May that year Su ran the 100 meters in 9.99 seconds at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, becoming the first Asian-born athlete to run 100 meters in under 10 seconds. Those successes helped prepare Su for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. There he finished in 14th place in the 100 meters, with a time of 10.08 seconds. The 4 × 100-meter relay team finished in fourth place, one step off the medal podium.
Su was unable to break the 10-second mark under standard (not wind-assisted) conditions in the 100 meters in 2016 and 2017 and contemplated retiring. However, he persevered, and in 2018 he ran the 100 meters in 9.92 seconds to win a gold medal at the Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. At the same competition his 4 × 100-meter team won a bronze medal. At the 2019 World Championships Su did not qualify for the finals in the 100 meters, and the relay team came in sixth place.
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During the semifinals of the 100 meters at the 2020 Tokyo Games, Su broke his own record (9.91 seconds in 2018, which was also the Asian record) and set a new Asian record with a time of 9.83 seconds. He thus became the first Asian runner in 89 years—after Yoshioka Takayoshi from Japan in 1932—to make the finals in the 100 meters at an Olympics; he was also the first Chinese sprinter to do so. In the finals Su finished in sixth place, with a time of 9.98 seconds. In addition, Su helped the 4 × 100-meter men’s relay team win the first relay medal for China, a bronze. The team originally finished in fourth place, but one of the silver medalists was subsequently disqualified for using a banned substance and the Chinese team moved up in the standings. Later in 2021 Su competed in the National Games in Xi’an. He won a gold medal in both the 100 meters—with a time of 9.95 seconds—and the 4 × 100-meter relay.
Su participated in the World Athletics Championships in 2022 but failed to reach the finals in both of his signature events, the 100 meters and the 4 × 100-meter relay. In 2024, while attending the Paris Olympic Games as a spectator, he told the Chinese press that injuries have prevented him from regaining his form and that he hoped to compete at least once more before retiring.
Other activities
In addition to training and competing, Su became an associate professor at Jinan University in 2018, where he teaches athletic training in the school of physical education. In 2021 the Su Bingtian Center for Speed Research and Training, a joint venture between the university and regional and national sports governing bodies, was established. Su and his wife, Lin Yanfang, married in 2017.