Major stars to watch for Rio

Su Bingtian

Born: Aug 29, 1989

Event: men's 100m

Su became the first Chinese athlete to qualify for the 100m final, at the World Championships in August in Beijing. He also led the men's 4x100m relay team to clinch a historical silver medal in the event.

As the reigning Asian champion, Su made history by becoming the first Asian-born sprinter to crack the 10-second barrier in an official race after clocking 9.99 at the Prefontain Classic in the United States on May 30. After reaching the semifinals at the London Olympics, Su seeks another breakthrough at Rio.

Ding Ning

Born: June 20, 1990

Event: table tennis, women's singles

Currently ranked first, Ding won her second single's world title at the 2015 World Table Tennis Championships. She also led the Beijing team to win the Chinese table tennis super league title. With such solid results, Ding has secured her berth on China's Rio Olympic team and is expected to shine.

Zhang Guowei

Born: June 4, 1991

Event: men's high jump

Zhang claimed a silver medal at the Beijing World Championships in the men's high jump by clearing 2.33 meters and made history a week later by becoming the first Chinese athlete to finish in the top three of the IAAF Diamond League final standings.

Hailing from Shandong province, Zhang roared into the spotlight at the 2012 IAAF world indoor championships at Istanbul, where he finished fourth with a Chinese indoor record-tying height of 2.31m, equaling former world record holder Zhu Jianhua.

His goal at Rio is to reach top three again.

Fu Yuanhui

Born: Jan 7, 1996

Event: women's swimming

Teenager Fu claimed gold in the women's 50m backstroke at the World Championships in Kazan, Russia, and also led the Chinese team to victory in the women's 4x100m medley relay. As a rising star of the backstroke, Fu shoulders the hope of China's women's swimmers at the Rio Olympics.

Zhang Yufei

Born: April 19, 1998

Event: women's swimming

Considered one of the most promising swimmers on the international scene, Zhang currently holds a world junior record in the 200m butterfly. She also produced a tally of seven medals - three gold, two silver, and two bronze - in her swimming career, spanning the Youth Olympics, Asian Games and the World Championships. She is expected to press China's advantage in the women's butterfly.

Chen Long

Born: Jan 18, 1989

Event: badminton, men's singles

Starting the year as No 1 in the world, Chen won his second All England title and has many times defeated compatriot Lin Dan, who was long considered China's strongest badminton player in the men's singles. Together with Lin, Chen will secure China's dominance of the sport in Rio.

Women's volleyball

Coached by former star spiker Lang Ping, the famed 'Iron Hammer', the Chinese women's volleyball team regained its mojo by outperforming host Japan to win the FIVB World Cup in September and qualify for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. The World Cup trophy was the first world title China has clinched since its gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics under former mentor Chen Zhonghe. It was also the first major crown (Olympics, World Championships and World Cup) added to Lang's resume. She returned to the Chinese national post in 2013 after leading China and the United States to silver medals at the Olympics in 1996 and 2008 respectively. The team's rejuvenation has raised people's expectations for Rio.

(China Daily 09/30/2015 page24)