Thanks to their natural talent, advanced skills and perseverance, the following ten athletes often dominate the competition in their own fields. Together with their individual athletic talents, they have been blessed with the good looks and well-trained physiques that appeal to both the public and fans. The following ten hot sports figures, selected for you by China.org.cn, are all presently still active and their ranking on this list is based on their legions of microblogging fans either on weibo.com or t.qq.com.
Top 10: Sun Yue (??)
Sport: Basketball
Age: 27
Microblogging fans on weibo.com (till Nov. 25): 23,465
Dubbed "China's Magic Johnson" by home-based fans, Sun Yue was born on November 6, 1985, in Hebei Province. Playing basketball from the age of 10, Sun has played with the Beijing Olympians, or Aoshen in Chinese, since 2002. In 2005, Sun joined China's national team, and entered the NBA- draft two years later. After making his debut there in 2008 as a point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, Sun became the fifth Chinese male player to play in the NBA. The following year, he became the second Chinese player to get an NBA Championship ring after the Los Angeles Lakers went on to win the 2009 NBA Finals. In October 2009, after having been waived by the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks, Sun returned to China and continued his contract with Beijing Olympians.
(Photo Source: China.org.cn
Top 9: Pan Xiaoting (???)
Sport: Billiards
Age: 30
Microblogging fans on t.qq.com (till Nov. 25): 378,692
Dubbed the "Queen of the Nine-ball" by Chinese media, Pan Xiaoting is the most famous female billiards player in China. Born on February 25, 1982, in Shandong Province, Pan started out playing billiards with her father at the age of 16. In 2002, Pan became champion at the 35th World Women 9-Ball Open in Japan, which brought her national fame. In 2007, Pan was the champion of World Women 9-Ball Championship, and won the finals at the 2008 World Pool Association Open. In 2011, she realized her grand slam ambitions by winning the gold medal at the 16th Asia Games.
(Photo Source:China.org.cn
Top 8: Jiao Liuyang (???)
Sport: Swimming
Age: 21
Microblogging fans on t.qq.com (till Nov. 25): 1,311,756
Chinese Olympian Jiao Liuyang was born in Harbin on August 6, 1991. During the 2005 Chinese National Games, Jiao finished second in the women's 200m butterfly event, making her a rising star across the country. During the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, she won silver in the women's 200m butterfly. In London this summer, Jiao became an Olympic champion. As a member of the PLA swim team, Jiao was elected as the country's youngest delegate to the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held earlier this November.
(Photo Source:China.org.cn
Top 7: Jiang Tingting (???)
Sport: Synchronized swimming
Age: 26
Microblogging fans on weibo.com (till Nov. 25): 1,439,570
Jiang Tingting and her twin sister Jiang Wenwen are currently the most famous synchronized swimmers in China. Born on September 25, 1986, in Sichuan Province, Tingting is 30 minutes younger than her sister Wenwen. In 2007, the twins finished fourth in the duet event during the 12th FINA World Championships, achieving the best results in the history of China's Synchronized Swimming Team. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the twin came in fourth place in the duet, and won the first synchronized swimming medal for China as part of Chinese team. During the XXX Olympiad in London, the twins won silver with the Chinese team.
(Photo Source:China.org.cn
Top 6: He Zi (??)
Sport: Diving
Age: 22
Microblogging fans on t.qq.com (till Nov. 25): 1,895,968
He Zi, born on December 11, 1990, in Guangxi Province, has long been regarded as the successor to China's so-called Princess of Diving, Guo Jingjing. Starting at the age of six, she joined the Tsinghua University diving team and went on to become a national team member in 2006. In February 2012, she won the women's doubles title and ranked second in the 3-meter springboard singles during the 18th FINA World Cup. During the XXX Olympiad held in August in London, He won both the gold and silver in the women's doubles (with Wu Minxia) and singles in the 3m springboard event, respectively.
(Photo Source:China.org.cn
Top 5: Zheng Jie (??)
Sport: Tennis
Age: 29
Microblogging fans on t.qq.com (till Nov. 25): 3,775,225
Zheng Jie, born on July 5, 1983, in Sichuan Province, is at present the second most successful female tennis player in China, only behind Li Na. As of this month, Zheng ranked 26th on the latest Women's Tennis Association (WTA) singles rankings, 11 spots below than her highest ranking- achieved on May 18, 2009. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Zheng won the doubles bronze with her partner Yan Zi. During the 2010 Australian Open, Zheng reached the singles semi-finals, becoming the first Chinese female player to reach the semi-finals at a Grand Slam event. In 2010, Zheng ranked 9th on CNN Asia's 15 sexiest female athletes list.
(Photo Source:China.org.cn
Top 4: Zhang Jike (???)
Sport: Table tennis
Age: 24
Microblogging fans on t.qq.com (till Nov. 25): 4,044,663
Born on February 16, 1988, in Qingdao, Zhang Jike is now one of the most successful table tennis players in the world. Zhang rose to fame in 2008 when he won the men's singles title during the Chinese National Championships after beating three Olympic champions -- Ma Lin, Wang Liqin and Wang Hao. In May 2011, he defeated defending champion Wang Hao and went on to win the singles title during the World Table Tennis Championships. Six months after that event, he went on to become the Men's Table Tennis World Cup champion in Paris. During the London 2012 Olympics, Zhang won gold in both the singles and team events, making him the fourth male player in the history of table tennis to achieve a career grand slam.
(Photo Source:China.org.cn
Top 3: Sun Yang (??)
Sport: Swimming
Age: 21
Microblogging fans on weibo.com (till Nov. 25): 11,948,292
After his sensational success during the 2012 London Olympics, Sun Yang is rapidly becoming one of the most renowned Chinese athletes in the world. In early 2011, he was sent to train with Olympic medalist Grant Hackett's mentor, Dennis Cotterell, in Australia for two months. Then, on July 31 of that same year, Sun broke the world record in the 1500m freestyle, which had been set by Grant Hackett ten years earlier. On July 28 and August 4 of this year, he became the Olympic champion in the men's 400m and 1500m freestyle events, making him the first male swimmer to win Olympic gold for China, as well as one of the two male swimmers to win two individual titles at one time- the other being Michael Phelps.
(Photo Source:China.org.cn
Top 2: Lin Dan (??)
Sport: Badminton
Age: 29
Microblogging fans on t.qq.com (till Nov. 25): 18,647,995
Born on October 14, 1983, in Fujian Province, Lin Dan is often called as "Super Dan" by his fans because of his advanced skill and great performances. At the age of 27, Lin completed the so-called Super Grand Slam, also known as the Golden Grand Slam by winning all major titles in badminton, including the Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cup, Thomas Cup, Sudirman Cup, All England Open, Asian Games and Asia Championships, making him the first and the only player around the world to do so. In 2010, Lin ranked 7th on CNN Asia's 15 sexiest male athletes list. On September 23 of this year, Lin married his former teammate Xie Xingfang, in a wedding ceremony held at the Beijing University of Technology.
(Photo Source:China.org.cn
Top 1: Liu Xiang (??)
Sport: Hurdles
Age: 29
Microblogging fans on t.qq.com (till Nov. 25): 28,363,534
As the first and only gold medal winner in men's track and field for China, Liu Xiang is unquestionably one of the most renowned and successful Chinese athletes in the world. Born on July 13, 1983, in Shanghai, Liu won his first Olympic gold medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics, putting him on the map as well as in the record books. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Liu was forced to withdraw from the competition at the last moment due to a lingering foot injury. In the XXX Olympiads this summer, he crashed into the first hurdle during in the opening heat of the 110m hurdles. However, even though he disappointed many of his fans, Liu is still the most beloved athlete with Chinese people. In 2010, Liu ranked 10th on CNN Asia's 15 sexiest male athletes list.
(Photo Source:China.org.cn
