Xi Xiaoheng competes in the final of the men's 1,500-meter race at the 2023 National Indoor Track and Field Championships on March 16. [Photo/taizhou.com.cn]

Xi Xiaoheng from East China's Zhejiang province won the men's 1,500-meter race at the 2023 National Indoor Track and Field Championships on March 16.

Xi won with a time of 3 minutes and 46.71 seconds - a national new record for the event - after two other althletes including eventual runner-up Liu Dezhu broke the record twice during the preliminary rounds.

Born in Lingxi village in Taizhou's Tiantai county in 1999, Xi Xiaoheng started training at the age of 10 before he was drafted to the track and field team of Zhejiang College of Sports.

Liu, who hails from Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, took second place with a time of 3 minutes and 47.85 seconds, while the third place went to Yang Guobin from Yunnan province who clocked 3 minutes and 49.22 seconds.

"The domestic athletes taking part in this event are fairly matched in terms of ability so everyone has a chance at winning," Xi said in an interview after the competition.

He also admitted that there is still a long way for Chinese athletes to go to bridge the gap with their global counterparts in middle and long-distance running.