Princeton University Athletics
Tiger Track Competes In First Meet As Stay In Beijing Comes To A Close
June 17, 2007 | Men's Cross Country, Men's Track and Field, Women's Cross Country, Women's Track and Field
The Princeton track teams competed in a Friendship meet Saturday with athletes from several Beijing universities as the group continued its five-day stay in the Chinese capital city as part of a 13-day tour.
A Princeton highlight of the meet was the performance of standout quarter-miler and former Heps champion Richard Stewart, who graduated just last week. Stewart set a personal best in the 400 meters on a 95-degree day and was just caught at the line by a Chinese competitor ranked second in the country in the event.
The Tigers will compete in a second meet, an invitational meet with top Chinese athletes, next Saturday in Shanghai, the third and final stop on the team's tour of the country.
On the day after the meet, Sunday, the 70-member Tiger contingent visited the famous Tiananmen Square in Beijing, the largest public square in the world. Team members also visited the well-known Forbidden City, with its nearly 10,000 rooms where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties once ruled. At night, the group attended a performance of the Beijing Opera.
The team will leave Monday (late Sunday Eastern Time) for a flight to the inland city of Xian, China's capital for 11 dynasties. Princeton will spend parts of three days in Xian before leaving for Shanghai Wednesday.