BEIJING, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) — Although some veterans will return to the Asian Games for the second, third and even fourth time, there are kids able to go one step additional of their profession. Following are 11 Chinese rising stars who will probably be rocking the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Zheng Qinwen (Tennis)
As one of many hottest rising stars in tennis, Zheng rallied previous final yr’s runner-up Ons Jabeur on the US Open final week to attain her first win over a top-10 participant at a Grand Slam.
Despite shedding to world quantity two Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus within the quarters, Zheng nonetheless made a breakthrough in her profession by reaching the ultimate eight of a Grand Slam occasion for the primary time.
In July, Zheng received her maiden WTA title at Palermo Open. Known to followers as “Queen Wen”, the 20-year-old is now eyeing on the Asian Games.
Ke Jie (Go)
Go made its Asian Games debut as an official occasion at Guangzhou 2010, with China claiming three silvers behind South Korea’s three golds. Go will come again to the Hangzhou Asiad after its absence at Inchon 2014 and Jakarta 2018.
Ke was the youngest Chinese Go participant to win eight world championship titles in 2020, after taking his fourth title on the Samsung World Go Masters. As a Zhejiang Province native, the 26-year-old Ke will make his Asiad debut in each workforce and particular person occasions.
Liu Qingyi (Breaking)
Ahead of its Olympic debut in Paris subsequent yr, breaking occasions will first develop into accessible to the Hangzhou public on the Asian Games this month.
Liu, who pocketed silver on the 2022 WDSF World Breaking Championships final October, continued her positive type with a convincing victory on the Breaking for Gold World Series 2023, the primary Olympic factors occasion in breakdancing this yr.
The 17-year-old prodigy will probably be aiming for gold in Hangzhou, because the winners of the lads’s and girls’s occasions will every get a direct ticket to Paris 2024.
Zhang Boheng (Gymnastics)
As the most effective males’s all-round gymnasts on the earth, Zhang will face severe challenges from Olympic champion Daiki Hashimoto of Japan in Hangzhou. Zhang beat Hashimoto by 0.017 factors to win the lads’s all-around title on the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships simply three months after Hashimoto was topped on the Tokyo Olympics.
Zhang misplaced the rematch on the Artistic Gymnastics Worlds one yr later, however took the gold on the Chengdu Universiade this August after Hashimoto stop because of damage.
In Hangzhou, the 23-year-old Zhang and 22-year-old Hashimoto will probably be of their fourth duel, each aiming for the very best podium.
Huang Yuting (Shooting)
China has by no means lacked younger gunners who can reveal sturdy competitiveness on large levels, and Huang is definitely one among them. Huang pocketed two golds and one silver in her worldwide debut on the 2022 ISSF World Championships in Egypt, incomes a number of Paris Olympic berths for China.
The 17-year-old Zhejiang native is pursuing for 3 gold medals within the 10m air rifle girls’s particular person, workforce and combined workforce occasions in Hangzhou.
Tian “Meiko” Ye (Esports)
“Meiko” might sound unfamiliar to those that are usually not into Esports. But for League of Legend (LoL) followers, it’s a identify that may make them scream. Meiko joined famend Chinese membership EDward Gaming in 2015 as a sub assist and have become a beginning participant quickly after.
After successful the 2021 LoL World Championship in Iceland, Meiko accomplished a Grand Slam together with the 2015 Mid-Season Invitational and Spring and Summer Split titles in China’s LoL Pro League with EDG. Meiko additionally triumphed in Jakarta 2018 when Esports made its debut in Asiad as an illustration occasion.
Yin Ruoning (Golf)
Yin turned world primary in girls’s golf after ending third on the LPGA Queen City Championship final week, thus changing into solely the second participant from the Chinese mainland to achieve the highest after Feng Shanshan.
The 20-year-old, who turned professional in 2020, claimed her first LPGA victory on the Los Angeles Open this April, earlier than successful her first main title on the Women’s PGA Championship in New Jersey two months later. Yin, who claimed a workforce bronze in Jakarta, will probably be coached by Feng on the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Shi Haoyu (Artistic Swimming)
As the primary and solely male swimmer within the Chinese creative swimming workforce, Shi made his worldwide debut on the age of 15 on the FINA Synchro World Series 2017 in China by taking gold within the combined duet free with accomplice Sheng Shuwen.
Despite successful a number of World Cup and World Series golds with totally different companions within the following years, Shi had by no means had an opportunity to high the rostrum on the World Championships till Fukuoka 2023, during which Shi received the combined duet free and workforce acrobatic, together with a bronze within the combined duet technical.
Wu Yanni (Athletics)
Capturing the general public’s consideration for her fairly seems and distinctive personalities on the primary place, Wu proved that there is much more to say about her on the monitor. Having received the ladies’s 100m hurdles title on the 2023 Chinese National Athletics Championships, she later claimed silver on the Chengdu Universiade with a private better of 12.76 seconds to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
As individuals have a tendency to guage extra on her high-key conducts, Wu began the preparations for the Hangzhou Asian Games early on. After all, efficiency and outcomes communicate louder than any statements.
Liang Weikeng/Wang Chang (Badminton)
Just a bit multiple yr after the duo paired up, their world rating rocketed from world quantity 424 to the present quantity two after they received the lads’s doubles last on the China Open final week, 22 years after China’s Zhang Jun/Zhang Wei final claimed the lads’s doubles title at house.
As China’s most promising males’s doubles duo in the mean time, Liang and Wang might need an opportunity to high the lads’s doubles rating in Hangzhou as they’re simply 138 factors shy of leaders Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto of Indonesia.
Wu Mengjie (Volleyball)
As an out of doors hitter, 21-year-old Wu typically reminds individuals of Zhu Ting for a similar place, related heights and taking part in fashion. Wu made the nationwide workforce coaching roster for the primary time in April 2022 after her gorgeous efficiency in China’s Nationals Games and the home league.
At the Chengdu Universiade in August, Wu led China to a straight-set win over Japan within the girls’s volleyball last with a team-high 16 factors. Despite shedding to host Thailand on the 2023 Asian Women’s Volleyball Championship early September, Wu nonetheless made the match’s Dream Team.