When, in 1993, Wang Junxia broke the 3,000m world record by 16 seconds and devastated the 10,000m world record by 42 seconds, Harry Wilson, Steve Ovett s former coach, was asked the question above. It s probably hard work.
Chinese women are inherently tough.
It was not long ago that all females in China had their toes bent under their soles and tied there for several years. Fashion decreed that women should walk in a particular way. Women were classed as inferior work horses until the Communists took power in 1946, when they were granted equal status with males. Chinese women come from very hardy stock. Next we have to look at China s peculiar system of reward for sporting achievement, where parents are rewarded as much as the individual athlete.