China’s 2004 Olympic judo champion Xian Dongmei, shown here, launched a strong comeback after giving birth to her first child in January, helping China to win its first world team title in Beijing. Her unexpected form makes her a strong candidate for the China’s Olympic team in the 2008 Games.

She said, ‘There are a lot of people coming to me and saying “God, you shouldn’t be there, you are a new mom”. I simply don’t want to miss the chance to compete at the Olympics at home because I don’t think I will have a second chance like this in my life. No matter how hard my new career will be, I have to take a try.’

A gold medalist in the 52kg division at the Athens Games in 2004, Xian began her comeback last week at the World Team Championships. It was her first international event since she retired after the Tenth National Games in 2005, deciding to devote her energies to motherhood rather than judo.

She led her team to successive victories over Algeria, Russia and Cuba to lift China’s first trophy of the tournament at Chaoyang Gymnasium in Beijing.
Source: China Daily