Going for Gold: The Chinese Athletes to Watch at Paris 2024

With the 2024 Paris Olympics just days away, China is looking to surpass its haul of 38 gold medals from the Tokyo Games, where it finished second overall with a total of 89 medals.

Fielding a diverse team of 405 athletes — from an 11-year-old skateboarder to a 37-year-old race walker — competing in 236 events across 30 sports (from a total 329 and 32, respectively), this Olympics marks a significant increase in participation, heightening the stakes and expectations this time around.

To enhance their performance in disciplines like swimming, track and field, fencing, and cycling, China has brought on board 42 foreign coaches, trainers, and medical staff from 17 different countries.

While no official medal target has been announced, the scale and preparation of the team suggests China will be a top contender at the Games starting July 26.

Here are some of China’s top medal contenders.

Wu Yanni, 26

Sport: 100-meter hurdles
Recent wins: Gold at the 2023 National Athletics Championships; Silver at the 2023 World University Games
Olympic appearance: Debut

With Su Bingtian, China’s “flying man,” no longer in contention, rising track star Wu Yanni is poised to take on his mantle.

Competing in the 100-meter hurdles, Wu has quickly gained popularity not just for her speed, but her distinctive style and pre-race rituals. Known for wearing heavy makeup during competitions — rare in Chinese sports — Wu’s bold appearance has sparked both admiration and controversy online, with some questioning her focus on athletics versus aesthetics.

Before each race, Wu engages the crowd with a unique gesture: she sways her shoulders, raises her hand to her nose, points skyward, and looks up, symbolizing her ambition and confidence.

Her attention to style has not been without criticism. Following a false start at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year, critics argued she prioritized appearance over performance. Wu responded to these criticisms by simply running faster: she set a personal best of 12.74 seconds at a national event in late June.

Despite the scrutiny on and off the field, Wu’s primary goal at the Paris Olympics is clear — to advance to the final round. “I just want to make steady progress and bring Chinese women’s hurdles to the world,” she recently stated.

Sun Yingsha, 23

Sport: Table tennis
Recent wins: Gold at the 2023 World Championships
Olympics appearance: Tokyo 2020, winning silver in the women’s singles and gold for the women’s team

Sun Yingsha has become a table tennis sensation in China, not only for her dynamic presence on the court but also for her calm and fierce style of play. At just 24, her popularity extends beyond the sport, regularly landing her on the trending list on China’s X-like platform Weibo, even for routine tournament participation.

Her dominance is backed by a remarkable record, including a reign as the world No. 1 for 100 consecutive weeks. This was capped by her triumph at the 2023 World Championships, where she defeated her senior teammate Chen Meng, the reigning Olympic gold medalist.

In Paris, Sun faces a daunting task as she competes in the three events allowed for a single athlete: women’s singles, women’s team, and mixed doubles. Her efforts in women’s singles will be closely monitored, yet it is her participation in mixed doubles, alongside teammate Wang Chuqin, that is likely to draw heightened scrutiny.

This event holds particular resonance, following the team’s heart-wrenching defeat to Japan three years ago when the category made its Olympic debut.

Quan Hongchan, 17

Sport: Diving
Recent wins: Gold at the 2024 World Championships
Olympics appearance: Tokyo 2020, winning golds in both the women’s singles and doubles

A diving prodigy, Quan Hongchan became a national sensation during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, when she captured gold in the women’s 10-meter platform with a record-breaking performance. She was only 14 at the time.

In an extraordinary feat, she secured three perfect 10 scores, propelling her over 40 points ahead of the silver medalist and compatriot, Chen Yuxi. It not only marked her as China’s second-youngest diver ever to win an Olympic title but also set a new standard for excellence in the sport.

The diving star, who initially took up the sport to help pay for her mother’s medical bills, has since cultivated a large fan base that admires her finesse and perseverance. However, her fans’ zeal has sometimes been so intense that state media has criticized it as emblematic of a toxic fandom culture.

Despite facing the typical challenges of adolescence, including weight fluctuations, Quan has maintained her competitive edge throughout the Paris Olympics cycle. Her persistence paid off earlier this year when she clinched her first world championship title with a series of exceptional dives.

With her continued dominance, few doubt Team China’s prospects for winning gold in the women’s 10-meter platform at the Paris Olympics. Yet, Quan is expected to encounter stiff competition from her teammate Chen Yuxi, who has defeated her twice in the past three years at the world championships. While Quan triumphed over Chen in Tokyo with her flawless performances, Chen’s three world championship titles testify to her formidable capabilities.

Shi Yuqi, 28

Sport: Badminton
Recent wins: 2018 All England Open Champion; pivotal member of Team China’s victories at the Thomas Cup in 2018 and 2024 and the Sudirman Cup in 2019, 2021, and 2023
Olympics appearance: Tokyo 2020, final eight

In May, Shi Yuqi made headlines when he became world No. 1 in men’s singles, a position that had eluded Chinese players for eight years. His ascent to the top was driven by consecutive tournament victories, reigniting hopes for gold at the Paris Olympics.

Despite several controversies, including a last-minute retirement that resulted in a 10-month playing ban, Shi has garnered a significant following in China. His popularity stems largely from his versatile playing style, exceptional performance in team competitions, and remarkable resilience in overcoming various physical injuries.

As he prepares for his second Olympic outing, Shi faces formidable competitors. Among them is Viktor Axelsen, the defending Olympic champion, who maintained the No. 1 spot for 132 weeks over the past three years before Shi claimed the title.

Zheng Qinwen, 21

Sport: Tennis
Recent wins: Runner-up at the 2024 Australian Open; Gold at the 2023 Asian Games
Olympics appearance: Debut

For a decade, Chinese tennis fans have longed for a successor to Li Na, the first Asian to win a Grand Slam singles title and who dramatically raised the sport’s profile in China before her retirement in 2014.

They may have found their answer in Zheng Qinwen, who hails from Li’s hometown in central China’s Hubei province. Early this year, Zheng became only the second Chinese player to reach a Grand Slam singles final at the Australian Open, propelling her into the top 10 rankings for the first time in her career and signaling her rise as a new torchbearer for Chinese tennis.

Even before her breakout performance in Melbourne, Zheng had already captured the attention of the commercial world. With lucrative endorsement deals from brands such as Rolex, Nike, and Alipay, Zheng rose to become the second highest-paid female athlete in China, trailing only Aileen Gu.

The Paris Olympics marks Zheng’s debut on the Olympic stage. In the mixed doubles she is likely to be joined by Zhang Zhizhen, another rising star who has been making significant strides in advancing the profile of male tennis players in China over the past few years.

Shi Zhiyong, 30

Sport: Weightlifting
Recent wins: Runner up at the 2024 IWF World Cup
Olympics appearance: Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, winning gold in both

As a two-time Olympic gold medalist and a three-time world champion, Shi Zhiyong stands as one of the most decorated weightlifters in history. Widely admired by sports fans both at home and abroad for his finesse and pre-lift rituals, the 31-year-old is setting his sights on a third Olympic gold in Paris.

While Shi was once the dominant force in the weightlifting arena — lifting a total of 19 kilograms more than the runner-up to secure his Tokyo Olympics gold — the road to a third gold appears more challenging.

He faces stiff competition from Indonesia’s Rizki Juniansyah, who defeated him and broke his long-held world record in April. Additionally, Shi has been struggling with a severe waist injury over the past few years, which has limited his ability to train systematically. Only a few months ago was he able to resume full training, and now the veteran weightlifter is focused on rebuilding his confidence as he prepares for the Paris Games.

“I’ve already elevated myself to be able to gun for the gold,” Shi told state broadcaster CCTV in a recent interview. “Whatever the final result, I will take it as far as I can and aim to improve a little more.”

Contributions: Zhou Zhijian; editor: Apurva.

(Header and in-text images: Visuals from IC, VCG, and the website of Olympic Games Paris 2024, reedited by Ding Yining/Sixth Tone)

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