6 olympics TUESDAY, JULY 24, 2012 CHINA DAILY TEAM CHINA BOUND FOR LONDON BOXING Chinese boxers will attempt to at least equal the two titles they won four years ago in Beijing. The women’s event will debut this summer. Zou Shiming, the 49kg champion, is Fighting chances in London expected to defend his gold medal. Zhang Zhilei is in position to win the super heavyweight category. In the women’s event, amateur world champion Ren Cancan is keen to Performances in gold-rich combat sports — boxing, judo, taekwondo and wrestling — claim the Games’ fi rst 51kg title, while Dong Cheng is punching for a medal at 60kg and Li Jinzi at 75kg. could decide how close China comes to the US in the medal count, China Daily reports. RESULTS AT PREVIOUS OLYMPICS 2004 Athens Games: 1 bronze medal (men’s 48kg) TENNIS ROSTER 2008 Beijing Games: 2 gold medals (men’s 48kg and 81kg) Women: Peng Shuai, Zheng Jie, Li Na, Zhang Shuai China Daily’s gold-medal projec- tion for London: 2 gold medals Is there a fi fth ROSTER RESULTS AT PREVIOUS OLYMPICS Men: Liu Qiang, Memeturson Jon, Meng Fanlong, Wang Xuanxuan, 2004 Athens Games: 1 gold Grand Slam now? medal (women’s doubles) Zhang Zhilei, Zou Shiming Women: Dong Cheng, Li Jinzi, 2008 Beijing Games: 1 bronze Ren Cancan Th e four Grand Slams of tennis dominate the sport’s medal (women’s doubles) STARS TO WATCH annual calendar, but every fourth year the increasingly China Daily’s gold-medal projection for London: 0 gold Zou Shiming, 31 important Olympic Games tournament rolls around. medals Birthplace: Zunyi, Guizhou province Th e Chinese contingent, led by the nation’s fi rst major Highlights: 2008 Beijing Olympics winner, Li Na, hopes to do better than the lone doubles STARS TO WATCH champion (men’s 48kg) bronze it won in 2008. LI NA, 30 Three-time World amateur champion “More and more of the world’s top players regard the (2005, 2007, 2011) Birthplace: Wuhan, Hubei Olympics as the biggest chance to win honor for them- province Dubbed the “pirate fi ghter” by the selves, as well as their country,” said China’s tennis chief, media, Zou won the Beijing Olympics’ Highlights: 2008 Beijing Olym- 48kg gold medal with a style that Sun Jinfang. “Th at means it will be more diffi cult for pics fourth place in singles relies on mobility and counter-attacks. Chinese women to stand on the podium at the London 2011 French Open women’s He hopes to repeat his success with Games.” singles champion a new approach now that opponents Li said she will do her best to fi ght for a medal at her last Li Na has begun to recover from have adapted to his tactics. Olympics, and she will have to shoulder extra weight on the slump that followed her Ren Cancan, 24 the doubles side. French Open victory last year. Birthplace: Jining, Shandong prov- Her reluctance to enter the ince Th e governing body forced Li, who has said she dislikes doubles has provoked concerns about her sometimes-volatile Highlights: 2008 Beijing Olympics doubles, to team with Zhang Shuai. China’s other pair — Peng Shuai and Zheng Jie — has temperament and led to ques- champion tions about how it will aff ect her Three-time World Amateur champion shown an ability to play at a high level on the pro tour and run in the singles. (2008, 2010, 2012) will hope to recapture the doubles gold medal China won Spearheading the three-strong in 2004. ZHENG JIE, 29 women’s team, Ren is a gold-medal contender. She became the fi rst Birthplace: Chengdu, Sichuan Chinese to win three titles in a row at province the Worlds, but will face threats from Highlights: Two-time Grand host Nicola Adams and India’s world Slam doubles champion (2006 champion, Mary Kom. Australian Open and Wimble- don) 2008 Beijing Olympics bronze FENCING medal in doubles (with former Fencing will be a reliable source for partner Yan Zi ) gold medals, as the Chinese have Zheng seemed comfortable as legitimate chances in the men’s foil she advanced to the third round and women’s epee events. at Wimbledon. She will return Led by Lei Sheng, the men’s foil squad to the All-England Club hoping defended its team crown at the World to make a deep run in both the Championships last year while the singles and doubles. women’s epee team grabbed silver at the same tournament. Individually, world champion Li Na and the promis- PENG SHUAI, 26 ing Sun Yujie are strong contenders in Birthplace: Tianjin the women’s epee. Highlights: 2010 Guangzhou The team has qualifi ed in all 10 cat- Asian Games singles and team egories — six team and four individual. champion RESULTS AT PREVIOUS OLYMPICS Injuries have aff ected Peng’s 2004 Athens Games: 3 silver medals performance on the WTA Tour (men’s epee, team foil and women’s this season and have dimin- sabre) ished her perceived chances in London in the singles and 2008 Beijing Games: 1 gold medal doubles tournaments. Sill, she (men’s sabre) will try to deliver at least a medal China Daily’s gold-medal projec- in doubles with Zheng. tion for London: 0 gold medals ROSTER Men: Jiang Kelu, Lei Sheng, Li dip in recent years. Beijing Olympics, bagging silver ana in the semifi nals, and then upset CANOEING HOCKEY Guojie, Liu Xiao, Ma Jianfei, Wang On the men’s side, Alamus from the and bronze medals. Beijing Games another pair from the host country, ROSTER ROSTER runners-up Xue Chen and Zhang Xi, world No 4-ranked combo Talita and Jingzhi, Zhang Liangliang, Zhong Inner Mongolia autonomous region is Men: Huang Maoxing, Huang Women: Cui Qiuxia, De Jiaojiao, Fu Man, Zhu Jun the only judoka qualifi ed for the Olym- ranked No 2 in the Olympic stand- Antonelli, in the fi nal. ings, are expected to challenge for the Zhipeng, Li Qiang, Shen Jie, Zhang Baorong, Gao Lihua, Li Dongxiao, Li Women: Chen Jinyan, Chen Xia- pics. The 23-year-old will compete for However, Xue damaged ligaments in Hongxia, Liang Meiyu, Ma Wei, Ma the men’s 60kg title. women’s title. Not much is expected her right foot during the semifi nals Hongpeng, Zhou Peng, Zhou Yubo odong, Li Na, Luo Xiaojuan, Sun from the men’s pairing. Yibo, Peng Yang, Ren Ye, Song Qin- Yujie, Xu Anqi, Zhu Min RESULTS AT PREVIOUS OLYMPICS of the Sanya Open, where the Chi- Women: Li Zhangli, Liu Haiping, Ren gling, Sun Sinan, Tang Chunling, Wang RESULTS AT PREVIOUS OLYMPICS nese duo fi nished third. It hopes Xue Wenjun, Wu Yanan, Yu Lamei, Zhou Yu Mengyu, Xu Xiaoxu, Zhang Yimeng, STARS TO WATCH 2004 Athens Games: 1 gold medal will be fully fi t before the Olympics. (women’s 52kg) 2008 Beijing Games: 1 silver medal, Zhao Yudiao Lei Sheng, 28 1 bronze medal (women) Birthplace: Tianjin 2008 Beijing Games: 3 gold medals (women’s 52kg, 78kg and +78kg) China Daily’s gold-medal projec- KAYAKING Highlights: Two-time World Champi- tion for London: 1 gold medal TAEKWONDO ROSTER TRIATHLON China Daily’s gold-medal projec- Wu Jingyu, the 2008 49kg champion, onships team foil winner (2010, 2011) Men: ROSTER tion for London: 1 gold medal has rediscovered her form just in time Hu Minghai, Huang Cunguang, Boasting elite physical conditioning Shu Junrong, Teng Zhiqiang Men: Bai Faquan Women: Zhang Yi ROSTER to defend her title. and refl exes, Lei has emerged as the Women: Li Jingjing new leader of the men’s team follow- Men: Alamus ROSTER ing Zhong Man’s slump. He will lead a Women: Chen Fei, He Hongmei, Men: Liu Xiaobo VOLLEYBALL promising cast fi ghting for team gold Tong Wen, Wang Hui, Wu Shugen, Women: Wu Jingyu, Hou Yuzhuo MODERN PENTATHLON ROSTER while also competing for an individual Xu Lili, Yang Xiuli Women: Chu Jinling, Shan Danna, medal. ROSTER STARS TO WATCH Wang Yimei, Hui Ruoqi, Ma Yunwen, Li Na, 31 Men: Cao Zhongrong, Wang Guan Mi Yang, Wei Qiuyue, Xu Yunli, Yang Tong Wen, 29 WRESTLING Birthplace: Dandong, Liaoning Wang Jiao is ready to defend her title Women: Chen Qian, Miao Yihua Junjing, Zeng Chunlei, Zhang Lei, province Birthplace: Tianjin in the 72kg freestyle. Zhang Xian Highlights: 2006 World Champion- Highlights: 2008 Beijing Olympics ROSTER champion (women’s +78kg) SYNCHRO SWIMMING ships team epee title Men: Li Shujin, Liang Lei, Liu Deli, ARCHERY 2011 World Championships individual Four-time World Championships Sheng Jiang, Zhang Chongyao ROSTER titleholder at +78kg (2005, 2007, ROSTER epee title Women: Jing Ruixue, Wang Jiao, Women: Chang Si, Chen Xiaojun, 2009, 2011) Huang Xuechen, Jiang Tingting, Jiang Men: Dai Xiaoxiang, Liu Zhaowu, Competing in the women’s epee, Zhao Shasha Xing Yu world champion Li Na is the team’s The +78kg-class judoka Tong Wen has Wenwen, Liu Ou, Luo Qian, Wu Yiwen, Women: Cheng Ming, Fang Yuting, strongest medal contender. After rekindled her gold hopes after winning Sun Wenyan Xu Jing claiming China’s fi rst world cham- an appeal against a two-year doping CYCLING pionship in the event last year, Li ban last March. The 29-year-old domi- nated at the Paris Worlds last year. Cycling could provide the icing on the ROWING will fi ght for a perfect ending to cake if short-distance sprinter Guo what might be her Olympic fi nale. Yang Xiuli, 28 ROSTER RHYTHMIC ROSTER Shuang rides smoothly in her pet GYMNASTICS Birthplace: Fuxin, Liaoning province Men: Wu Penggen, Xu Linyin event, the individual pursuit.