Record Times: China's World Beating Athletes

If there’s anything that China likes more than seeing one of its own athletes atop the winner’s podium, it’s the thrill of knowing that he or she got there by shattering a world record. It’s no wonder, then, that China lavishes great rewards on athletes recognized by the governing bodies of sports as the best in their event.

In compiling our list of China’s current world-record holders, we did not include any sport decided by judges (e.g. gymnastics or diving) or races where differences in weather and terrain rule out direct comparison (e.g. triathlon). That left 11 world records in sports where there is a start, a finish and a stopwatch.

Sun Yang
Men’s 1,500m freestyle (14:34.14)
FINA World Championships, Shanghai, Jul 29, 2009

Zhang Lin
Men’s 800m freestyle (7:32.12)
FINA World Championships, Rome, Jul 29, 2009

Zhou Yang
Women’s 1,000m short track speed skating (1:29.049)
Winter Olympics, Vancouver, February 25, 2010
Women’s 1,500m short track speed skating (2:16.279) Salt Lake City, Feb 9, 2008

Wang Junxia
Women’s 3,000m (8:06.11)
Chinese National Games, Beijing, Sep 13, 1993
Women’s 10,000m (29:31.78)
Chinese National Games, Beijing, Sep 8, 1993

Wang Meng
Women’s 500m short track speed skating (42.609)
Beijing, Nov 29, 2008

Zhao Jing
Women’s 50m backstroke (27.06)
FINA World Championships, Rome, Jul 30, 2009

Team China Women’s
(Yang Yu, Zhu Qianwei, Liu Jing, Pang Jiaying)
4x200m freestyle relay (7:42.08)
FINA World Championships, Rome, Jul 30, 2009

Team China Women’s
(Zhao Jing, Chen Huijia, Jiao Liuyang, Li Zhesi)
4x100m medley relay (3:52.19)
FINA World Championships, Rome, Aug 1, 2009

Team China Women’s
(Sun Linlin, Wang Meng, Zhang Hui, Zhou Yang)
3,000m short track speed skating relay (4:06.610)
Winter Olympics, Vancouver, Feb 24, 2010

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