CHINA’S TOP SPORTS STARS OF 2020
▶ Athletes who shone brightest over tough year
The last 12 months might want to be one that world would prefer to collectively forget, but there was plenty in the sporting world that is worth remembering even with much sport stopped in its tracks and Tokyo 2020 kicked down the road until 2021.
Here are the stars of Chinese sports who shone brightest in 2020.
Zhang Weili – Mixed martial arts
Th The 31- year- old en entered 2020 with a belt around her waist and hope in h her heart as a title d defense against Jo Joanna Jedrzejczyk loom loomed in Las Vegas i in M March.
Then the coronavirus hit and Zhang had to leave China for Thailand where her fight camp was called short as she flied to the UAE before travel restrictions kicked in and then faced a race against time to get into the US.
When Zhang was apart from her family and facing obstacles in her fight preparations, the virus was being used as a stick to beat her in the pre- fight promotions, with one poster proving particularly problematic. Zhang used that as fuel for the fire at UFC 248 where she savaged the Pole over their five rounds in what would be named the Fight of the Year at the Mixed Martial Arts Awards. Zhang kept her belt and is set to defend it again as soon as the spring with the contenders lining up. Fellow Chinese strawweight fighter Yan Xiaonan wants her turn in what would be a matchup that could see China’s interest in UFC skyrocket.
Yao Ming – Basketball
The former NBA All- Star may be long retired but he had a year to remember in his role as president of the Chinese Basketball Association.
The CBA’s 2019- 20 season was in full flow in January before its scheduled mid- season break for Lunar New Year.
That became an extended hiatus as the coronavirus pandemic brought sport to a standstill across the country – and then across the world.
It was the CBA that came back before all others, pioneering the bubble format that would go on to be used by the NBA as they finished their own season.
Zhu Ting – Volleyball
The star spiker returned to China in 2019 from Turkish women’s volleyball club Vakifbank Istanbul, where she had won the FIVB Club World Championi ships and CEV Champions League over the course of her three season stay in Europe.
The plan was to train for the Tokyo Olympics and winning the league with Tianjin without a dropping game for the gold medalist and MVP in Rio four years ago, but then the pandemic saw the Games move to next summer.
Zhu stayed with Tianjin for the 2020 season and she was the star as they retained their domestic title.
Wang Shuang – Football
The Wuhan native was training with the Chinese women’s national team ahead of their crucial Olympic Games qualifying campaign before returning to her hometown for Lunar New Year.
Her stay became elongated as the city went into lockdown and
Wang was kept there while her teammates tried to prepare without their star.
The former Paris Saint- Germain player posted videos to social media of her in training in lockdown, but she had to watch on as China traveled to Australia for a quarantine- disrupted qualifying campaign that then was put on pause.
Wang will be with the team when that is resumed and they will be glad to have the Chinese Women’s Super League winner, having helped guide Wuhan to the 2020 league title.
Xu Can – Boxing
China’s top boxer has not fought since November 2019 when he defended his WBF secondary belt against Manny Robles III in California but his star has risen in his time away from the ring.
Despite the enforced absence, Ring Magazine has ranked him as the No. 3 flyweight in the world – up from No. 7 when he beat Robles by unanimous decision.
Li Tie – Football l
It has been over a year since the Chinese men’s national football team played Hong Kong in their last t competitive match, but the 12 months since their meeting in Busan, South Korea has been kind to Li’s side.
They found themselves in 75th place on FIFA’s end of year world rankings, a rise of one place from the 2019 and 2018 rankings.
Chinese social media users even joked that Li will be in charge of the national team for a long time, if he can just keep the team from playing but with a packed schedule for 2021 – when China will play its rescheduled Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers – offers much hope for Li and his side.
Zhou Guanyu – Motor racing
The Chinese Formula 2 driver made history with a first win in the category in Sochi in September.
“I have my first victory in the F2 Championship and it definitely felt good to stand on top. I promised the Chinese fans at the start of the season that I would win at least once for the country and we have done that today,” the Formula 1 test driver with Renault said after the race.
The 21- year- old led all the way and told his Twitter followers of his pride after his win. “So proud to let everyone hear the Chinese national anthem for the first time in F2!”
The Shanghai- born driver’s debut 2019 season saw him finish seventh and 2020, despite all its disruptions, ended with him in sixth. He will be hoping for more next season.
Yin Ruoning – Golf
Teen golfing sensation Yin is just 18 and 2020 was her debut season as a pro but the Shanghai starlet showed her true intentions with wins in her opening three tournaments.
“Three straight wins definitely is a great achievement. It’s an incredible start for my professional career,” Yin said after the third, which put her in the Guinness Book of Records for the most consecutive wins on the China LPGA Tour and the most consecutive wins on the China LPGA Tour from professional debut.
The China Golf Association congratulated her and told her to aim for the stars at the Tokyo Games next year.