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Jonathan White

This year, like any other, China’s women will lead the way to the country’s sporting success. That has been the case for some time, across both team sports and individual.
Even in sports such as table tennis where China’s men are among the best in the world, the women are stood right alongside them.
The next 12 months are massive for Chinese sport with the delayed Tokyo 2020 Summer Games on the horizon and the Beijing 2022 Winter Games next February.
In recognition of International Women’s Day, we take a look at China’s star female athletes – those who hope to bring China success in the next year and those who have shone in the past.


Zhang Weili – MMA
“Magnum” has not fought since last March when she defended her strawweight title at UFC 248 in Las Vegas, besting Joanna Jedrzejczyk in the unanimous Fight of the Year. Rose Namajunas is expected to be the 31-year-old’s next defence, and as soon as next month.
Zhang has targeted seven defences of the belt that she took from Jessica Andrade in Shenzhen in August, 2019. If that run is to come to pass then she will no doubt have to face fellow Chinese fighter Yan “Panda” Xiaonan, whose own star is on the rise in the same division.




















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Eileen Gu – skiing
The 17-year-old is expected to be the face of the Beijing Winter Olympics next year and one of China’s brightest medal hopes. Born in the US to a Chinese mother and American father, Gu Ailing – as she is known in China – naturalised to compete for the hosts.
She starred at the Winter X Games earlier this year, putting in the best performance from a rookie in its 25 year history with two golds and a bronze. China will hope the freestyle skier can bring home another gold or two in the capital.
Other Chinese hopes on the slopes include snowboarders Liu Jiayu, who won silver at Pyeongchang in 2018, and Cai Xuetong, a three-time Olympic veteran who won the Beijing 2022 half-pipe test event last month.


Wang Shuang & China’s women football team
Former PSG player Wang was the first Chinese to score in the Uefa Champions League before returning to China to prepare for Tokyo 2020. The coronavirus pandemic has put their qualification plans on hold, with a play-off against South Korea set for April.
The team earned that game with a trip to Australia early last year, where they had to overcome training in hotel corridors in quarantine and missing stars such as Wang who was locked down back home in Wuhan. Steel Roses striker Tang Jiali was one of those to step, scoring vital goals.
While men’s football has been a source of disappointment, the women led by Sun Wen finished runners-up at the 1999 Fifa Women’s World Cup and they will expect to make it to Tokyo.

Zhu Ting & China’s women’s volleyball team
At one time the best paid volleyball player in the world at Vakifbank Istanbul, Zhu was another who left Europe to return home ahead of the Olympics. She was MVP as China won gold at Rio in 2016, one of a raft of individual awards, and also guided them to the 2019 World Cup.
Coached by the legendary Lang Ping, who won Olympic gold as a player in 1984 and as coach in 2016, the team has been praised by Xi Jinping. Lang’s life was turned into a film, Leap, last year. Another Olympic gold and Zhu can expect similar in the future.

Fu Yuanhui – swimmer
The star swimmer shot to fame at Rio 2016 where she took bronze in the backstroke and won fans with her personality, not realising she had finished third, and taboo-breaking talk of menstruation. Five years on Fu is one of the big names on a swimming programme that continues to produce talent.
Last Friday at the China Swim Series in Zhaoqing, Yang Junxua recorded the fastest 200m time this year, while Zhang Yufei did that for the 200m fly.
Olympic champion Ye Shiwen, young Yu Jingyao and Asian Games gold medal winning teenager Wang Jianjiahe are among the other stars set to shine this Olympic year.


Table tennis
China has said that they will not send any players overseas before the Tokyo Games in the summer despite table tennis tournaments resuming.
No matter, six of the top seven women’s singles players are Chinese, led by world No 1 Chen Meng, with Rio 2016 champion Ding Ning still around. Elsewhere, 2019 women’s singles world champion Liu Shiwen is only the sixth best ranked Chinese woman as she makes her comeback from injury.
Countries are limited to two players per Olympic event but China are expected to challenge again whoever they pick.


Diving
Stronger than Chinese table tennis is its diving, with double Olympic champion Shi Tingmao leading the way ahead of rival and synchro partner Wang Han.
There are world champions elsewhere in the form of Zhang Jiaqi, Lu Wei and Chen Yuxi (who won it at 13 in 2019) plus another Olympic champion Ren Qian.
Chinese dominance has been constant since the days of Fu Mingxia back in the early 1990s, and the future looks bright too with Quan Hongchan, 13, winning the 10m at last year’s National Games.
Li Na’s French Open win opened the door for Chinese and Asian tennis
Since the 1990s China has produced some incredible female athletes such as tennis hall of famer Li Na, who became the first Asian singles grand slam champion when she won the French Open in 2011.
Former skater Yang Yang starred on the ice and is now part of the planning for Beijing 2022, where figure skater Sui Wenjing is a medal hope with partner Han Cong.
Before then there are hopes for world champion shot putter Gong Lijiao and weightlifter Deng Wei in Tokyo, while Feng Shanshan – who took bronze in Rio – is eyeing gold in the golf this summer.
“The Bronze medal was a breakthrough for Chinese golf, but China has won so many gold medals in other sports, so I think Chinese golf needs a gold medal,” she told Xinhua last year of her hopes to make history.


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Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

UFC’s Zhang Weili and Beijing 2022 Olympics hope Eileen Gu lead big year for Chinese women

UFC women's strawweight champion Zhang Weili of China punches former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk of Poland at UFC 248 in March, 2020. Photo: AP

Fu Yuanhui at the military training camp

China's volleyball national coach Lang Ping (RIGHT) and player Zhu Ting meet the press in Macau.

The five fighters UFC strawweight champ Zhang Weili could face next

UFC women’s strawweight champion Zhang Weili punches former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 248. Photo: AP

Mixed martial artist Zhang Weili holds Tony Ferguson's baseball at the UFC 248 ceremonial weigh-ins.

Former UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas poses after her fight with Jessica Andrade at UFC 251 at Fight Island, Abu Dhabi in July. Photo: Instagram / Rose Namajunas

July 26, 2020; Abu Dhabi, UAE; Marina Rodriguez (blue gloves) of Brazil kicks Carla Esparza (red gloves) in their strawweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event inside Flash Forum on UFC Fight Island. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via USA TODAY Sports

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - OCTOBER 18:  (R-L) Jessica Andrade of Brazil takes down Katlyn Chookagian in their women's flyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event inside Flash Forum on UFC Fight Island on October 18, 2020 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 07: (R-L) Yan Xiaonan of China punches Claudia Gadelha of Brazil in a strawweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on November 07, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

July 12, 2020; Abu Dhabi, UAE; Rose Namajunas celebrates after her split-decision victory over Jessica Andrade of Brazil in their strawweight fight during the UFC 251 event at Flash Forum on UFC Fight Island on July 12, 2020 on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via USA TODAY Sports

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 07: (R-L) Claudia Gadelha of Brazil punches Yan Xiaonan of China in a strawweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on November 07, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

UFC women's strawweight champion Weili Zhang, right, of China, gets kicked by former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk of Poland during UFC 248 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas Saturday, March 7, 2020.(Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Zhang Weili vs Yan Xiaonan fight would see UFC put China in a chokehold

UFC women's strawweight champion Zhang Weili of China awaits former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk of Poland at UFC 248 in Las Vegas. Photo: AP

Olympic MVP Zhu Ting confident despite Tokyo 2020 delay

Zhu Ting in action with Vakifbank Istanbul at the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship in Shaoxing, China. Vakifbank Istanbul won 3-0 to claim the title. Photo: Xinhua

Zhu Ting joins LeBron James, Lionel Messi and Simone Biles in British children’s book

Zhu Ting in action for Vakifbank Istanbul at the FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship in 2018. Vakifbank Istanbul won 3-0 to claimed the title. Photo: Xinhua

Sport

China


Volleyball team led by star Zhu Ting and coach Lang Ping lead medal charge at delayed Summer Olympics
Pioneers such as tennis hall of famer Li Na made history but there is more to make for current generation of female athletes



Volleyball team led by star Zhu Ting and coach Lang Ping lead medal charge at delayed Summer Olympics while others hope to make history like tennis hall of famer Li Na.
