Veterans of valor

Ma Long

(Table Tennis)

Five Olympic gold medals, 13 world championship titles, nine World Cup titles, a record 64 months as world No 1 including 34 consecutive months from 2015 — it's no surprise that Ma is widely regarded as the greatest table tennis player of all time. His extraordinary feats also include winning five Asian Games gold medals, at Doha 2006, Guangzhou 2010 and Incheon 2014. After missing the last edition in Jakarta, the 34-year-old will make his fourth Asiad appearance in Hangzhou, taking part in the men's team event.

Ding Xia

(Volleyball) Renowned for her swift movement and creative offensive play, 2016 Rio Olympic champion Ding will be playing at her third Asiad following a silver medal at Incheon after losing to host South Korea, and a gold in Jakarta with eight straight-set victories. Earlier this year, Ding missed the national team's training camp due to knee surgery and was then left out of the Volleyball Nations League squad due to a sprained ankle. As a sub setter, the 33-year-old Ding is expected to bring experience and momentum to the team.

Gong Lijiao

(Shot Put)

Gong won gold in women's shot put at the Jakarta Asian Games, following a silver in 2010. Since her first appearance at the athletics worlds in 2007, Gong has pocketed two gold, two silver and four bronze medals. She became a Grand Slam winner after being crowned at the Tokyo Olympics with a personal best of 20.58 meters. Gong was not satisfied with her performance after finishing third at the world championships in August, but said she was determined to carry on as she bids to break the 21-meter mark at her fourth Asian Games.

Zhang Yufei

(Swimming)

At 25, Zhang is already considered a veteran in a sport where teenagers often top the podium. Just two days after wrapping up her World Aquatics Championships campaign with five medals, including two golds, Zhang completed a remarkable gold-medal sweep in all nine events she competed in at the Chengdu World University Games. Having won one gold at the 2014 Asiad as well as two golds and a silver in 2018, the Olympic champion says she is targeting seven titles at her third Asian Games.

Xue Chen

(Beach Volleyball)

Xue made the Chinese national team in 2002 at the age of 13, starting her Asian Games journey with gold in Doha with partner Zhang Xi, half a year after becoming the youngest-ever champion at the Shanghai Open when she was 17. The pair retained the Asian title at Guangzhou 2010. Along with multiple titles at the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships and an Olympic bronze, Xue and Zhang made the FIVB Roster 100 in 2021 — a list of the 100 greatest volleyball players from 2010 to 2020.After missing out on the Incheon and Jakarta Games, Xue and playing partner Xia Xinyi will now go for China's sixth consecutive women's beach volleyball title at the Asiad since 2002.

Xiao Ruoteng

(Gymnastics)

Xiao captured the crown in the men's all-around title at the 2017 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships and led China to a team gold at the 2018 worlds. Despite nursing nagging injuries at the Tokyo Olympics, Xiao took an all-around silver, a floor exercise bronze and a team bronze. He has long been considered the backbone of China's national squad, with the ability to withstand pressure and steady the team at key moments. Xiao came up short at the Jakarta Games with one silver and two bronze medals. After a lengthy injury layoff, the 27-year-old has set his sights high for Hangzhou.

Sun Yiwen

(Fencing)

Sun has always had to deal with injuries throughout her career, yet still has enjoyed significant success on the world stage. After winning a historic gold in the women's epee individual at the Tokyo Olympics, she took a break from international competition until returning last November. Since then, Sun has claimed bronze at the World Cup and the Milan world championships, lifting her world ranking from 95th to her current ninth place. The 31-year-old is determined to win her maiden Asiad individual gold and third consecutive team title in Hangzhou.

Wang Shanshan

(Soccer)

Wang helped China win the 2022 Asian Cup in India after a 16-year wait. The 33-year-old, who can play both as a forward and a defender, delivered clutch performances in the semifinal against Japan and the final against South Korea, helping her earn the 2022 Chinese Women's Footballer of the Year award. Wang has fond memories of competing at the Asian Games, amazingly netting nine goals off the bench against Tajikistan in 2018.Team China will hope she can repeat those heroics in Hangzhou as the Steel Roses bid to win a first Asian Games title since 1998.

Xie Zhenye

(Athletics)

At Incheon 2014, Xie was part of the team that won the men's 4x100m relay gold in an Asian-record time. However, he missed the 2018 edition due to injury and returns to the Asiad with China facing a difficult task in Hangzhou without star sprinter Su Bingtian. The 30-year-old Xie holds the Asian 200m record but will not compete in that event in Hangzhou, instead focusing on the 100m and the relay, where the Zhejiang native will be keen to dash to glory in front of the home fans.

Shen Lijun

(Weightlifting) The Chinese weightlifting team returns to the Asian Games in Hangzhou after their absence from Jakarta five years ago. Thirty-year-old Shen is the only athlete in the squad who competed at Incheon 2014, when he took silver in the 62 kilogram category. At the Tokyo Olympics, Shen clinched 67 kg gold and equaled the Olympic total record of 332 kg. Shen dominated the men's 67 kg at the World Weightlifting Championships earlier this month, pocketing three gold medals in snatch, clean and jerk, and the combined total. Hopes are, therefore, high of repeat performance in Hangzhou.