In fact, it's very interesting. Sun Yingsha and Zhang Boheng lead the list of IOC recommendations that netizens roast about
The opening of the Hangzhou Asian Games has entered the countdown. Recently, the official platform of the International Olympic Committee listed the 8 star athletes worth external attention for the Hangzhou Asian Games. Two Chinese athletes are on the list, namely Sun Yingsha from table tennis and Zhang Boheng from gymnastics.
The other six athletes are: Thai badminton history's first person Kunlawut, Japanese swimming "female warrior" Ike Gangri Hanako, South Korean swimming star Huang Shanyu, Japanese skateboarder Katsumi Shina, Malaysian diving hero Pandeleira, Qatar's legendary high jump superstar Balsim, and Indian javelin thrower Jopura.
This list has sparked heated discussions for a while. Chinese netizens have something to say: "Diving is China's ace sport, how can the recommended character be Pandelera?" "Why isn't swimming a sport like Qin Haiyang or Zhang Yufei?"
Is this list convincing? Let's take a look at these athletes.
Sun Yingsha, a leading figure in Chinese women's table tennis.
Sun Yingsha, currently ranked first in the world, is already a leading figure in Chinese women's table tennis, almost securing a spot in the Paris Olympics. A cute doll face, but a masculine and tough playing style on the court, earning Sun Yingsha the nickname "Little Demon King". At this Asian Games, she will compete in four events - women's singles, women's doubles, mixed doubles, and women's team. At the previous Jakarta Asian Games, Sun Yingsha had only participated in international competitions for less than 2 years. She won the championship in mixed doubles and women's team competitions. At this Asian Games, Sun Yingsha and Wang Yidi teamed up to compete in the women's singles, with the goal of winning the women's singles championship.
New generation athlete Zhang Boheng.
Zhang Boheng is a traffic leader among the new generation of athletes. In the mouths of some fans, he is an idol athlete who goes to the variety show when wearing a suit, and to the gold medal when taking off a suit. As early as the Tokyo Olympics, he had already occupied a place in the gymnastics national team, but unfortunately was replaced by Lin Chaopan in the final moments and missed the Tokyo Olympics. In the 2021 World Gymnastics Championships, Zhang Boheng, who participated for the first time, won the men's individual all-around gold medal with a score of 87.981. Last season, Zhang Boheng led his team to win the men's team championship at the Gymnastics World Championships, helping the Chinese team secure admission tickets to the Paris Olympics ahead of schedule. The showdown between Zhang Boheng and Japanese superstar Daihui Hashimoto will be a highlight of this year's Asian Games.
Kunla Wute, the men's singles champion born in the 2000s.
Thai player Kunravut won the men's singles final at the 2023 Badminton World Championships by defeating Nara Okuni 2-1. This is the first men's singles champion in the history of Thai badminton at the World Championships, and Kunravut has also become the first post-00s men's singles champion in the history of the World Championships. Having reached the finals of two consecutive World Championships and won one gold and one silver medal, Kunlawute has broken the traditional pattern and demonstrated its potential to usher in a new era in the badminton field.
Chijiang Lihuazi overcomes illness and returns.
Chijiang Lihuazi made her debut at the 2018 Asian Games. At the age of only 18, she won 6 gold medals and 2 silver medals, almost helping the Japanese team equalize with the Chinese team in the total number of gold medals in swimming. Unfortunately, in 2019, she was diagnosed with leukemia, which led to a decline in her career. After nearly a year of treatment, Riko Ikeda overcame her illness and chose to return in 2021. As a member of the Japanese 4x100m medley relay team, she qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. Chijiang subsequently missed the 2022 season and returned earlier this year when she reached the final of the 50m butterfly at the World Championships. The Hangzhou Asian Games may become the starting point for Chijiang to regain its peak state.
South Korean swimmer Huang Shanyu is a favorite to win the championship.
At the age of 20, Huang Shanyu has successfully won medals in two consecutive World Swimming Championships, a height that his predecessor Park Tae hwan also failed to reach. Paying attention to Huang Shanyu should be recognizing his potential. Because the swimming events of the Asian Games have been a competition between China and Japan for many years, and after experiencing the great outbreak of this year's Fukuoka World Championships, the Chinese swimming team is even more confident. However, there is also an undeniable force in the Asian swimming world, which comes from the men's mid to long distance freestyle event group in South Korea. Represented by Huang Shanyu and Jin Yumin, they maintain a leading position in Asia in men's 200 meter, 400 meter, and 800 meter freestyle swimming; At the same time, their men's 4x200 meter freestyle relay strength is also very strong. At the Fukuoka World Championships, the South Korean team achieved 6th place with a time of 7:04.07, which is the best result in Asia. In the men's 100m freestyle event, Huang Shanyu is also one of the favorites to win the championship at this year's Hangzhou Asian Games.
15-year-old Japanese skateboarder Hina Koki is a junior high school student, one year younger than diving athlete Quan Hongchan, and she is quite famous at a young age. Kusumi Shina has been practicing skateboarding for 6 years, and she participated in the competition for the first time the year before last. At the end of 2021, she won the championship of the Japan Championship. Last year, she won the championship of the Japan Open and defended her title at the Japan Championships. Currently, she ranks third in the world. She stated in an interview that she will win the championship at the Hangzhou Asian Games. At the same time, she will also participate in the Rome World Championships starting on October 1st, striving to win the championship and successfully qualify for the Olympics.
Malaysian diving legend Pandeleira.
In diving, the Chinese team has the strength to crush their opponents. Malaysian diving star Pandeleira won the bronze medal in the women's singles 10 meter platform diving at the London Olympics; At the Rio Olympics, she teamed up with Zhang Junhong to win the runner up in the women's synchronized 10 meter platform diving, demonstrating Malaysia's competitiveness in diving. In the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, 17-year-old Pandeleira participated in the Asian Games for the first time. For diving athletes, the age of 30 is already considered "advanced", and Pandeleira was able to persist for so many years under the shadow of the diving "Dream Team", which should be the reason why she was recommended by the International Olympic Committee.
World's top high jump athlete Balsham.
Balsim is one of the best high jump athletes in the world today, holding the Asian high jump record of 2.43 meters, which makes him almost on par with the legendary figure of high jump - Cuban Javier Sotomayor - and his world record of 2.45 meters high jump set in 1993. Balsham not only won gold medals in high jump at the 2017 and 2019 World Championships, but also bronze at the 2012 London Olympics, silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and gold at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. He is also one of the Olympic double champions in high jump, creating history. At present, South Korean athlete Yu Sanghe is Balsham's main competitor, and this Asian Games may become a new battlefield for the two.
Indian athlete Chopra won the javelin championship at this year's World Athletics Championships.
In the 2023 World Athletics Championships, Indian javelin thrower Jopura won one gold medal, becoming India's first world athletics champion in history. In the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Chopra won India's first gold medal in athletics at the Tokyo Olympics with her second pitch of 87.58 meters. This was also the first gold medal in Indian Olympic history. Chopra also became the third athlete in the history of men's javelin to win both world and Olympic championships. To bring glory to the country and become a role model for the people, but Chopra still maintains a calm heart and hopes to achieve her dream of winning a gold medal at the Asian Games.
