Wang Junxia, the iconic "Oriental Deer" of Chinese athletics, chose to retire young, lived low-key, and now leads a steady, fulfilling life focused on her passions away from public gaze.
At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the image of Wang Junxia parading around the track draped in the Five-Star Red Flag to salute the crowd instantly drew thunderous applause. This single frame has left a lasting and vivid impression in the memories of viewers who lived through that era.
Most of us still remember the “Eastern Deer” who once stunned the world of track and field, yet few realize that she chose to retire at the height of her career before turning 25.Her three marriages were marked by many ups and downs, and she spent the latter half of her life living in the United States. For an ordinary person, these experiences alone would be enough to spark prolonged public discussion, yet Wang Junxia has always lived a very low-key life—so much so that even today, there is no accurate information available to the public regarding her financial situation.
In her early years, before she turned 20, Wang Junxia broke world records one after another. She competed all the way to the 1996 Olympics, where she won a gold and a silver medal, becoming China’s first Olympic champion in long-distance running.Prior to that, she had left her original team and only managed to regain her form under the guidance of her former coach, Mao Dezhen. Just as her career seemed to be reaching its peak, she suddenly announced her retirement—a decision that most others would have found difficult to make, given the glory she had achieved.Her first two marriages ended either due to conflicting values or because she felt suffocated by the constraints of the relationships. She has rarely spoken publicly about the hardships she faced during these two divorces, and outsiders have no way of knowing how she managed to get through them.
In the course of a person’s life, there will always be moments of glory, as well as inevitable setbacks and hardships. What matters most is whether you can clearly understand what you want and whether you can persevere through those difficult times.
It wasn’t until she married her third husband, Li Huiyang, that Wang Junxia finally settled down at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in Denver, where the family of five lived a simple, down-to-earth life.Today, she still maintains her habit of morning runs; in 2025, she just completed the full Wuxi Marathon. She spends her days busy with charitable activities and promoting track and field, leading a fulfilling and contented life. She never lets the various rumors and speculation from the outside world get to her.
Many people spend half their lives preoccupied with the numbers in their bank accounts and the status and prestige they enjoy in the eyes of others. In contrast, Wang Junxia,at the peak of her career, she wasn’t obsessed with empty fame; when faced with setbacks, she didn’t dwell on the past. She is equally capable of finding contentment in the simple, everyday moments of life and of focusing on what she loves. The opinions of others have never influenced her choices; she has always been single-minded in shaping her life exactly as she wants it to be.
The value of life has never depended on fleeting glory. The legends that are remembered—the ones that truly stand the test of time—are always rooted in the conviction that comes from living each day with clarity. From now on, there’s no need to constantly worry about what others think; living your own life with sincerity and integrity is more important than anything else.
