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 take their maiden appearances. Following are 10 Chinese athletes who shall be making their Asian Games debut in Hangzhou.
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 dropping 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 gained 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 staff and particular person occasions.
Liu Qingyi (Breaking)
Ahead of its Olympic debut in Paris subsequent yr, breaking occasions will first turn out to be obtainable 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 fantastic type with a powerful victory on the Breaking for Gold World Series 2023, the primary Olympic factors occasion in breakdancing this yr.
The 17-year-old prodigy shall be aiming for gold in Hangzhou, because the winners of the boys’s and girls’s occasions will every get a direct ticket to Paris 2024.
Zhang Boheng (Gymnastics)
As probably the greatest males’s all-round gymnasts on the planet, Zhang will face critical challenges from Olympic champion Daiki Hashimoto of Japan in Hangzhou. Zhang beat Hashimoto by 0.017 factors to win the boys’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 give up because of damage.
In Hangzhou, the 23-year-old Zhang and 22-year-old Hashimoto shall be of their fourth duel, each aiming for the best podium.
Huang Yuting (Shooting)
China has by no means lacked younger gunners who can show robust competitiveness on large levels, and Huang is unquestionably one in all 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 ladies’s particular person, staff and combined staff occasions in Hangzhou.
Tian “Meiko” Ye (Esports)
“Meiko” might sound unfamiliar to those that will not be into Esports. But for League of Legend (LoL) followers, it’s a title 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 profitable 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 indication occasion.
Yin Ruoning (Golf)
Yin grew to become world primary in ladies’s golf after ending third on the LPGA Queen City Championship final week, thus turning into solely the second participant from the Chinese mainland to succeed in 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 profitable her first main title on the Women’s PGA Championship in New Jersey two months later. She shall be coached by Feng on the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Shi Haoyu (Artistic Swimming)
As the primary and solely male swimmer within the Chinese inventive swimming staff, 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 profitable 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 prime the rostrum on the World Championships till Fukuoka 2023, by which Shi gained the combined duet free and staff acrobatic, together with a bronze within the combined duet technical.
Wu Yanni (Athletics)
Capturing the general public’s consideration for her fairly appears and distinctive personalities on the primary place, Wu proved that there is much more to say about her on the observe. Having gained 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 folks have a tendency to evaluate 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 a couple of yr after the duo paired up, their world rating rocketed from world quantity 424 to the present quantity two after they gained the boys’s doubles closing on the China Open final week, 22 years after China’s Zhang Jun/Zhang Wei final claimed the boys’s doubles title at dwelling.
As China’s most promising males’s doubles duo for the time being, Liang and Wang may need an opportunity to prime the boys’s doubles rating in Hangzhou as they’re simply 138 factors shy of leaders Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto of Indonesia.