Hometown Glory: Spot These Local Athletes in Tokyo Olympic Games 2020

When the Summer Olympic Games concluded in 2016 in Rio, no one could have predicted what a tumultuous journey humanity would be in the midst of 5 years on, not to mention the first postponement that has ever happened in modern Olympic Games history. Yet, the sacred flame would not die out easily, thanks to all the sacrifice and contributions that have been made from people all over the world and the perseverance of those athletes even under the harsh training conditions, the Tokyo Olympic Games are well underway.

As a strong competitor for many events, China has sent out its largest delegation in the overseas Olympic Games, and Beijingers are proud to see 18 athletes who hail from this beloved city competing in about 30 events.

Here, we've compiled a list of these Beijingers who are making the capital proud on the world's stage. (This list not only includes athletes who were born and raised in Beijing but also those who are currently playing for Beijing teams)

Table tennis – 马龙 Ma Long, 王楚钦 Wang Chuqin 

Chinese athletes have been dominating this rectangular table for decades, to a point that you can frequently see them competing with previous teammates who now represent other countries in international competitions. However, even amid this dream team, only a few of them have truly become household names – and Ma Long sure is one of them. Ruling this event globally for almost 10 years and with three gold medals under his belt, Ma Long is of the most experienced table tennis player and was once called “the devastating dragon from the empire’ and “the man with no weak point’ by Japanese media.

Meanwhile, Wang Chuqin is a rising star whose international rank has climbed more than 300 tiers within a mere 2 years. And as a young athlete who was born in the new century, he has a long and bright journey ahead of him

Schedule: 

Ma Long: Men's Single vs. S. Achanta (Today), Men's Team China vs. Egypt (Sun, Aug 1 9:00)

Wang Chuqin: Men's Team China vs. Egypt (Sun, Aug 1 9:00)

Gymnastics – 肖若腾 Xiao Ruoteng 唐茜靖 Tang Xijing

Gymnastics is also a traditional strong suit for the Chinese delegation, although far from the only country that makes it a top priority. Xiao Ruoteng and Tang Xijing will both have their Olympic debut in Tokyo and hope to acquire their first Olympic medals in their athletic careers.

Schedule:

Xiao Ruoteng: Men's Artistic Individual All-around Final (Wed, Jul 28 18:15)

Tang Xijing: Women's Artistic Team All-around (Tue, Jul 27 18:45)

Track and Field – 王宇 Wang Yu

Wang Yu has won the championship of multiple domestic and international competitions, including the IAAF World Challenge and Diamond League. It will be his second time competing in the Olympic Games and he hopes to reach new heights this year.

Schedule:

Wang Yu: Men's High Jump (Fri, Jul 30 8:15)

Tennis – 杨钊煊 Yang Zhaoxuan

Having proven herself in various youth international tournaments and Women’s Tennis Association in Dubai in 2018, Yang Zhaoxuan is competing in Tennis Female Doubles this time. 

Soccer – 王妍雯 Wang Yanwen

Wang Yanwen is playing as the forward for the current Chinese female soccer team. Although the chance of qualifying for the elimination round is scarce this time, you can still show your support in the upcoming match versus the Netherlands.

Schedule:

Women's Soccer vs. Netherlands (Tue, Jul 27, 19:30)

Diving – 曹缘 Cao Yuan 张家齐 Zhang Jiaqi

At 25 years old, Cao Yuan has already taken 2 gold medals in the previous Olympic Games. In Tokyo, he has signed up for two events, the Men’s Diving 10-meter platform and its doubles. The latter event has just concluded, and despite the last dive being nearly perfect, a mistake from the previous round and the impeccable performance by the British team left him and Chen Aisen with the silver medal. However, he still has a chance to win his third Olympic gold for Men’s Diving 10-meter platform on Aug 7.

On the other hand, it will be the first time for Zhang Jiaqi to join the Olympic Games and she will also dive from the 10 meter platform next week.

Schedule:

Cao Yuan: Men's 10m Platform (Fri, Aug 6, 14:00)

Zhang Jiaqi: Women's Synchronised 10m Platform (Tue, Jul 27, 14:00)

Artistic Swimming – 冯雨 Feng Yu

As a member of the Chinese Artistic Swimming team, this young Beijinger will be performing this aquatic ballet with her sisters in Tokyo next week.

Schedule:

Women's Team Free Routine (Sat, Aug 07 18:30)

Swimming – 于静瑶 Yu Jingyao

Also, a girl who was born in Beijing, Yu Jingyao aims to perform her best in the Women’s 200-meter breaststroke competition that will commence later this week

Schedule:

Women's 200m Breaststroke (Wed, Jul 28 18:41)

Volleyball – 刘晓彤 Liu Xiaotong

The outsider hitter of the Chinese Female Volleyball team, Liu Xiaotong and her teammates experienced a rough start in Tokyo, but let see whether they can rise from the ashes and ignite the stadium as their predecessors have done in the previous Olypmpics.

Schedule:

Women's Tournament vs. ROC (Thur, Jul 29 15:25)

Badminton – 刘雨辰 Liu Yuchen

Born into an athletic family, Liu Yuchen started his badminton career early and has claimed many trophies from various events, though he is still eagerly waiting to prove himself in the Olympic Games. This Beijing lad has specialized in Men’s doubles.

Schedule:

The Olympics.com forgot to list it, but the final will either take place on Aug 1 or Aug 2

Fencing – 董超 Dong Chao

Though he lost in the Men’s epee individual’s fight, Dong Chao still has the chance to take his revenge in the team battle.

Schedule:

Men's Épée Team (Fri, Jul 30 9:00)

Karate – 龚莉 Gong Li

This girl with a smile like sunshine actually ranks second among international karate athletes and you will see her kick some asses next week.

Schedule:

Women's Kumite 61kg (Fri, Aug 06 11:20)

Rowing – 苗甜 Miao Tian

Miao Tian and her teammates will be competing in the upcoming repechage of the Women’s eight rowing for a seat in the final.

Schedule:

Women's Eight Repechages (Wed, Jul 28 11:40)

Equestrian – 华天 Hua Tian

Coming from a family of both Chinese and British cultural backgrounds, Hua Tian started riding when he was only 4 years old and became a registered equestrian at 14, which broke the convention that the minimum age for the equestrian had to be at least 16 years old. He also participated in the Olympic Games in Rio and made history as the first Chinese player who enters the final.

Schedule:

Eventing Dressage Team and Individual (Fri, Jul 30)

Basketball – 潘臻琦 Pan Zhenqi

Pan Zhenqi and her comrades will be rivaling Puerto Rico in these Olympic Games.

Schedule:

Women's Basketball (Tue, Jul 27 20:00)

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