In the men's long jump final at the recently concluded National Games in Guangzhou, defending champion Wang Jianan was nowhere near the runway.

Instead, the 29-year-old world champion sat quietly in the stands, watching others accelerate, rise and fall — movements that have defined his life for more than a decade.

A day earlier, Wang had announced on social media that he would not compete. He underwent surgery earlier this year after an injury, and despite months of rehabilitation, he has not yet returned to competition.

For an athlete who has built his identity on soaring beyond limits, stepping aside was perhaps his biggest test.

"The National Games mean a great deal to me," he wrote.

It is the stage where he has repeatedly proven himself, and the place where he hopes to repay the people who stood behind him.

Though temporarily sidelined, he promised he would continue recovering and work toward returning to the arena next year.

Many fans have been waiting for the moment he takes off again. Wang has been waiting for it, too. But, as he acknowledged, competitive sport is not dictated by will alone. The body demands time — and respect.

The long jumper has experienced highs and lows throughout an athletic career spanning more than a decade, gradually maturing both technically and mentally. Leaving the field due to injury is not the end for him — he still hopes to jump even further.

Taking flight

His absence today contrasts sharply with the journey that began more than a decade ago. Born in 1996 in Shenyang, Wang was fast and powerful long before he knew what those qualities meant. A primary-school sports meet led to his recruitment by a track coach, and curiosity drove him into the decathlon, where he trained across 10 events rather than choosing just one.

His first breakthrough came in 2012, just after his 16th birthday, when he jumped 8.04 meters to win the national championship. It was his first time clearing the eight-meter mark — a distance that would still earn a silver medal at this year's National Games.

A year later, as he shifted to specializing in long jump, Wang crossed paths with Randy Huntington, the then newly appointed American coach of China's national long jump team and a legendary figure who once guided world record holder Mike Powell.

Wang was selected into Huntington's newly formed long jump squad, beginning a partnership that has lasted more than 10 years.

From the run-up, to takeoff and aerial technique, every movement was carefully shaped by Huntington. "Between every jump, he would emphasize the precision of my approach and rhythm," Wang said.

Since 2014, Wang has jumped over 8.10m every year, including tying the national record of 8.47m in 2018, as his best mark steadily improved.

Under Huntington's guidance, Wang soon made his international breakthrough — at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, the 19-year-old won bronze, the first World Championships long jump medal in Asian athletics history. In an unprecedented achievement, China fielded three finalists in the men's long jump, something only seen previously from the United States at its peak.

Wang continued to climb. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, he finished fifth. In 2018, he came within a centimeter of the Asian record, and in 2020 posted the world's best mark of 8.36m.

But expectations can weigh more than medals.

At the Tokyo Olympics, he jumped only 7.81m in qualification and missed the final.

Long jump is highly unpredictable with little room for error. In some events, competitiveness may help athletes perform better, but in long jump, it can become a burden.

Before Tokyo, his desire to medal became a psychological weight. The extraordinary hunger for victory affected his training. Looking back, he feels he was impatient and anxious, and communication with Huntington suffered, leading to disagreements.