Hunan's Best — Champions and Gold Medalists, Star Profiles (Part 1)
Hunan Athletes, Sports Stars: Li Sen, the first Chinese woman to compete in the Olympics. Born in 1914 in Hengyang, Li Sen competed in track and field at the 1936 Olympics, finishing third in her 100m heat with 13.6 seconds and failing to advance; the heat winner ran 12.5 seconds.
This article has been compiled from historical materials in the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com · City Overview section). Some administrative divisions, population, socioeconomic data, and policy information may be outdated and are for reference only; for the latest situation, please refer to official releases by the local government and scenic areas.
Section One
Athletes of the Hunan Force, Outstanding Figures in Sports
China's First Female Olympian — Li Sen
Li Sen was born in 1914 and was a native of Hengyang. At the 1936 Olympic Games, Li Sen competed in track and field. In the women's 100-meter preliminary heat, she finished third in her group with a time of 13.6 seconds and failed to advance to the semifinals; the first-place time in her group was 12.5 seconds. As early as 1935, she set national records of 6.8 seconds in the 50 meters and 27.5 seconds in the 200 meters, and these records remained unbroken until the founding of New China. Li Sen's outstanding achievements caused a sensation in the sports world, and she was hailed as the "Queen of Women's Sprinting."
Hunan's First Olympic Champion — Lu Li
Lu Li was born in 1976 in Changsha and was an international-level master athlete in gymnastics. In August 1992, at the women's uneven bars final at the Barcelona Municipal Gymnasium, the petite and nimble Lu Li began with a spin onto the bars, then performed a forward giant swing into a 360-degree turn to an undergrip, followed by a reverse hang swing and a reverse hang front somersault, then an arched turn to fly over the low bar into a reverse grip and a body-lift swing with legs straddling over the high bar, and finally a highly difficult double back somersault. She flew through the air between the bars, floated down, and landed firmly. Amid the cheers of tens of thousands of spectators, all six judges simultaneously displayed "10 points." With a perfect score of 10, she surpassed all her rivals and won the gold medal in the women's uneven bars at the 25th Olympic Games, becoming the first person from Hunan to win an Olympic gold medal.
Hunan's Only Athlete to Win Medals at Four Consecutive Olympic Games — Xiong Ni
Xiong Ni was born in 1974 in Changsha and was an international-level master athlete in diving. At the 11th Asian Games held in Beijing in 1990 and the 3rd Asian Diving Championships held in Guangzhou in 1998, he won 2 Asian championships. Thereafter, he successively participated in the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th World Cup Diving Championships and the 25th, 26th, and 27th Olympic Games, winning a total of 13 world championships. Among these, at the 26th Olympic Games in 1996, he won the gold medal in the 3-meter springboard diving, fulfilling his dream of becoming an Olympic champion and becoming the second Hunan athlete after Lu Li to win an Olympic gold medal. At the 27th Olympic Games in 2000, he won 2 gold medals in the 3-meter springboard individual and 3-meter springboard synchronized diving events. He was the only athlete to participate in four consecutive Olympic Games and win medals each time, and at that time was the Hunan athlete with the most world championships.
China's First Olympic Badminton Women's Singles Champion — Gong Zhichao
Gong Zhichao was born in 1977 in Anhua County and was an international-level master athlete in badminton. In 1989, when Gong Zhichao was 12 years old, she was selected for the Hunan Provincial Badminton Team. After joining the national team in May 1996, her world ranking soared, and she occupied the number one spot in the women's singles world rankings, repeatedly defeating strong foreign opponents in world competitions, standing proudly above all rivals. She won the women's singles title at the 1997 Swedish Open, the women's singles title at the 1998 Japan Open, and the women's singles title at the 1997 All England Open. She was a key member of the championship team at the 1997 Sudirman Cup mixed team competition and secured a crucial point for the Chinese team's recapture of the Uber Cup in 1998. In September 2000, at the 27th Olympic Games held in Sydney, she defeated Danish star Martin
with a score of 2:0 to win the women's singles gold medal, becoming China's first Olympic badminton women's singles champion.
China's First Tujia Olympic Champion — Yang Xia
Yang Xia was born in 1977, of Tujia ethnicity from Xiangxi, and a native of Baojing County. On September 18, 2000, at the 27th Olympic Games that attracted worldwide attention,
Yang Xia, with a snatch of 100 kg, a clean and jerk of 125 kg, and a total of 225 kg, successively broke 3 world records in this weight class and won the women's 53 kg championship, securing China's first weightlifting gold medal at that Olympic Games. She also became China's first Tujia Olympic champion, bringing honor to the motherland.
Hunan's First Olympic Parallel Bars Champion — Li Xiaopeng
Li Xiaopeng was born in 1981 in Changsha. He entered the national team in February 1996. As of May 30, 1998, he was ranked first in men's floor exercise and second in men's parallel bars on the ranking list published by the International Gymnastics Federation. In September 2000, at the 27th Olympic Games held in Sydney, he won 2 championships in the men's team and individual parallel bars, becoming the only "double champion" of the Chinese gymnastics team at that Olympic Games. In August 2008, he won the team championship and the individual parallel bars championship at the 29th Beijing Olympic Games, and broke the record for gold medals won by a gymnast, with a total of 16 world championships, becoming the number one figure in Chinese gymnastics. During his athletic career, he pioneered the men's vault move "round-off back handspring with 180-degree turn into straight front somersault with 900-degree turn," which was officially named the "Li Xiaopeng Vault" by the International Gymnastics Federation.
China's First Olympic Women's Balance Beam Champion — Liu Xuan
Liu Xuan was born in 1979 in Changsha. She was selected for the national team at the age of 13 and was one of the main members of the Chinese women's gymnastics team during its golden era in the 1990s. In 1992, she participated in the National Gymnastics Championships and won the uneven bars championship. In 1993, she won the women's team championship at the 7th National Games. In 1994, she won the women's team championship. In 1995, at the China Cup International Gymnastics Competition women's individual all-around, she won the women's balance beam, floor exercise, and women's individual all-around championships. In 1998, she won the women's uneven bars championship at the World Cup and the women's balance beam championship at the World Cup Gymnastics. At the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, she won China's first Olympic gold medal in the balance beam event.
Hunan's First Men's Weightlifting Olympic Champion — Long Qingquan
Long Qingquan was born in 1990 in Longshan County. In 1999, he entered the weightlifting team of the Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture Sports School. In 2002, at the 9th Hunan Provincial Games, Long Qingquan won the men's Group C 38 kg championship. In 2006, at the 10th Provincial Games, he won the men's Group B 52 kg championship with outstanding results. In 2006, after training in weightlifting at the prefecture sports school for 7 years, the 16-year-old Long Qingquan successfully entered the Hunan Provincial Weightlifting Team. At the men's 56 kg weightlifting competition at the 29th Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, he ultimately won the championship with a snatch of 132 kg, a clean and jerk of 160 kg, and a total of 292 kg. He became Hunan's first men's weightlifting Olympic champion.
Hunan's First Women's Weightlifting World Champion — Zeng Xingling
Zeng Xingling was born in January 1970 in Xinhua County. In early 1985, she was selected for the Xinhua County Amateur Sports School. In 1986, she represented the Loudi region at the 6th Hunan Provincial Games and won first place in the 56 kg class. In October of the same year, the Hunan Women's Weightlifting Team was established, and she became one of its first members. She had good physical qualities, strong leg explosive power, coordinated and agile movements, trained hard, and her competitive level continued to rise. In May 1987, she participated in the First National Women's Weightlifting Championships and won 2 gold medals in the 60 kg class clean and jerk and total. In November of the same year, she participated in the First World Women's Weightlifting Championships held in the United States, where she won 3 gold medals in the 60 kg class snatch, clean and jerk, and total, and set 3 world records in that weight class, becoming Hunan's first women's weightlifting world champion.
Winner of China's First Gold Medal in World Trampoline Competition — Luo Dan
Luo Dan was born in 1986 in Wangcheng County, Changsha, Hunan, and was a trampoline athlete. In 1999, she entered the Hunan provincial team to begin professional training, and in November 2002 she was selected for the national team. From September 15-17, 2005, at the 24th World Trampoline Championships held in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, she won the women's team championship. This was China's first gold medal in world trampoline competition. She later also won the women's synchronized trampoline team championship at the 25th World Trampoline Championships.
The Hunan Athlete Who Created a Paralympic Swimming Legend — Tian Rong
Tian Rong was born in 1987 in Yongshun County and was a world swimming champion. At the swimming competition of the 7th Hunan Provincial Paralympic Games, he won 3 gold medals and broke one Chinese record. At the 6th China Paralympic Games in 2003, he won 3 gold medals and 1 silver medal and broke 3 Chinese records. At the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games, he won 1 gold medal and 1 silver medal and twice broke the world record in the men's S7 50-meter butterfly. At the China Championships in September 2006, he again won 4 gold medals and 2 silver medals, surpassed 1 world record, and broke 5 Chinese records. In the men's 50-meter butterfly S7 final at the 13th Beijing Paralympic Games, he won the championship and created a "swimming legend" by breaking the world record twice in one day.
Hunan's First World Champion — Li Fang
Li Fang was born in 1960 in Changde. In 1971, she was selected for the Hunan Provincial Badminton Team. In November 1978, at the First World Badminton Championships held in Thailand, she partnered with Zhang Ailing of Shanghai to win the women's doubles championship, winning Hunan's first world championship. In December 1978, she won the women's team championship at the 8th Asian Games. To commend her contributions to sports, the Provincial Sports Commission awarded her a First-Class Merit once and a Third-Class Merit three times, and the National Sports Commission awarded her the Sports Honor Medal. She was the first athlete from Hunan to receive this honor.
Hunan's First International-Level Master Athlete — Wen Zhifang
Wen Zhifang was born in 1960 in Changsha and was a shooting athlete. In May 1978, at the National Shooting Pistol Competition in Kunming, she and her teammates won 2 team gold medals. She represented the provincial team and national team many times in major domestic and international competitions, winning a total of 40 top-six finishes in domestic major competitions, including 11 Asian championships and 13 national championships. In 1981 and 1986, she equaled the world records in pistol center-fire and pistol 40 shots with scores of 592 rings and 387 rings respectively. At the 23rd Olympic Games, she participated in the 25-meter pistol center-fire competition and finished in the top six with a score of 578 rings. This was the first placement achieved by a Hunan athlete at the Olympic Games. In 1986, at the 10th Asian Games, she won 2 gold medals in the small-bore standard pistol team and small-bore pistol events. In 1987, at the 6th Asian Shooting Championships held in Beijing, she won 3 gold medals. Wen Zhifang was the first international-level master athlete from Hunan Province, and the National Sports Commission awarded her the Sports Honor Medal.
China's First Double World Champion in Women's Gymnastics — Ling Jie
Ling Jie was born in 1982 in Hengyang. She began practicing gymnastics at the age of 4 and was selected for the national team at the age of 12. In October 1999, Ling Jie was the first to perform at the 23rd World Gymnastics Championships in Tianjin and won the balance beam gold medal. This was the only gold medal won by the Chinese women's team at that World Championships and ended the history of the women's gymnastics team going two World Championships without a gold medal. Ling Jie also realized her dream of becoming a world champion for the first time. In the 2000 World Cup Finals, she won the world championship in the uneven bars with superb skill, becoming the first "double world champion" of the Chinese women's gymnastics team.
The First Female Athlete to Break a Shooting World Record — Chen Rong
Chen Rong was born in 1935 in Changsha and was a national-level shooting coach and a member of the Communist Party of China. In March 1951, she joined the Chinese People's Liberation Army. In 1955, she took up shooting sports and was among New China's first batch of female shooting athletes and master athletes. In 1959, at the First National Games, she broke the world record in the 50+1100 meters 30 shots prone position with a score of 589 rings, becoming the first female athlete in New China to break a shooting world record, and was awarded the "Sports Honor Medal" by the National Sports Commission. During her time as a shooting coach in the Bayi Team, the outstanding athlete she trained, Wu Xiaomei, broke a national record and won the championship at the 1966 National Shooting Championships, and this athlete won the championship at the 1973 Asian Shooting Championships. In 1978, she served as a coach of the Hunan Provincial Shooting Team. She once served as a member of the Hunan Branch of the All-China Sports Federation and an honorary member of the Hunan Provincial Sports Federation.
Hunan's First National Master Athlete — He Yicheng
He Yicheng was born in 1954 in Hengshan County and was a national-level weightlifting coach. In 1973, at the National Weightlifting Championships held in Lianyungang, Jiangsu, he won the gold medal in the youth 52 kg class. During his 13-year athletic career, he won a total of 9 gold medals and 14 medals in domestic competitions, broke national records in the 52 kg and 56 kg classes twice, and broke national youth records 17 times. He was repeatedly rated as an outstanding Communist Party member, advanced worker, and New Long March Commando. He was the first athlete in Hunan to be awarded the title of "National Master Athlete."
Hunan's First Model Aviation World Champion — Zeng Hubin
Zeng Hubin was born in 1958 in Dong'an County and was an international-level master athlete in model shipbuilding. At the 5th World Model Shipbuilding (Endurance) Championships in 1986 and the 6th in 1988, he won fourth place and sixth place in the team event respectively. At the 7th World Model Shipbuilding (Endurance) Championships held in Austria in 1990, he won gold medals in FSR-3 and FSR-5 classes, becoming the first world champion in the history of Hunan model shipbuilding sports. The Hunan Provincial Sports Commission awarded him a Major Merit once, and the National Sports Commission awarded him the Sports Honor Medal and the title of international-level master athlete.
Hunan's First Go World Champion — Luo Xihe
Luo Xihe was born in 1977 in Hengyang. He began learning Go at the age of 6 and entered the national youth team at the age of 10. In 1989, he was rated as a first dan, and in 2002 he was promoted to ninth dan. On January 13, 2006, in the final of the 10th Samsung Cup World Go Open (in South Korea), ninth-dan Luo Xihe defeated South Korea's ninth-dan Lee Changho by 5.5 points playing black, winning the first world championship of 2006 with an overall score of 2:1. This was also the first time Lee Changho lost to a non-Korean player on the final stage of a world competition. Luo Xihe thus became the first world champion in the history of Hunan Go.
The World Bridge Queen — Yang Xiaoyan
Yang Xiaoyan was born in 1930 in Xinhua County. At the age of 18, she went alone to the United States to make her way in the world, studying medicine, and later settled in the United States. In 1968, she began learning bridge. In 1978, she won the gold medal at the World Olympiad Bridge Competition held in New Orleans and was hailed as the "Bridge Queen." She won 3 gold medals and 4 silver medals at world bridge competitions and was the first person of Chinese descent to become a World Grand Master in bridge. She was once a main player of the American women's bridge team and served as a trustee and president of the American Contract Bridge League Charity Foundation. In 1986, the World Bridge Federation appointed her as one of the 4 founders of the "Bridge Friends" organization. Since the 1980s, she visited China many times and was received by Party and state leaders. She once played bridge with Deng Xiaoping and other Chinese leaders and served as an advisor to the Shanghai Bridge Association.