Excitement is building nationally, as the 2022 Asian Games – postponed from 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic – is set to run from Sept 23 to Oct 8 in Hangzhou, capital city of East China's Zhejiang province.

Dong Xiya – a local female athlete from the Liandu district of Lishui city in Zhejiang province – was included with her partner Wang Nan in women's double sculls rowing and women's four.

Dong has been training for over six years and in 2016 she joined the Lishui City Junior Rowing Team, under the guidance of coach Zhou Chengjian. Despite starting training relatively late, Dong was inspired by coach Zhou's meticulous advice, unwavering support and love for the sport, which motivated her to pursue her passion.

At the 2022 World Rowing Championships, Dong and her team secured a silver medal in the women's eight competition, setting a new record in this field in China.

In the Asian Games qualifiers on July 3, Dong made the cut because of her exceptional performance. She achieved an average power of 313, becoming the highest right-side rower with an ergometer score of 6 minutes and 13.6 seconds, ranking second.