Who's hot, who's not in China sports (Nov 12 –18)

HOT

Zhang Jike

Congratulations to Zhang Jike on his ping-pong championship at the World Cup in Paris Sunday. The 23-year-old put on a stellar performance throughout the three-day tournament, including overcoming a two-set deficit to beat compatriot Wang Hao to win it all. And he just became the third player in the history of table tennis to win both the men's singles title at the World Championships and the World Cup in the same year. But the rising star's probably aiming higher, for the ultimate glory in London, as his wing tattoo suggests.

 

Lin Dan

Trust me, even if you are not a badminton fan in general, you do not want to miss a Lin Dan - Lee Chong Wei matchup. In the past three years this rivalry has risen to the level of a clash of titans, just like Real Madrid vs. Barca in La Liga or the Lakers vs. Celtics in NBA. Dongguan invited the two, along with Taufik of Indonesia and Gade Christensen of Denmark for a badminton tournament on Friday. Lin and Lee met in the final after defeating Taufik and Christensen, respectively. And Super Dan got the best out of his old foe this time, after a thrilling three sets, receiving 1 million yuan as the prize award. But he blurted out after the game that he might consider retirement after the London Olympics.

 

Kong Linghui

China's table tennis legend Kong Linghui is going to take himself off the market next year. He unveiled his marriage plan Tuesday: He has decided to marry Ma Su, a Chinese actress, after the London Olympics. Kong is considered one of the all-time greats of table tennis and has taken a position as head coach of China's national women's team after retirement in 2006. The two have been in love for nearly 10 years.

Li Na

Known for her superb talent on the court, Chinese tennis player Li Na will propagate her fame by writing a memoir that will be published by Penguin and a Chinese publisher. The book, titled Go West and Win, will recount the Grand Slam winner's experience in rising to the highest level of the sport, offering tips on "Harnessing personal passions to win against the odds," said the British publisher, who also wants to present Li's humor and wit. Latest instance? Watch her interview on CNN last week to see how she made fun of her husband, again.

 

Chinese women's volleyball team

The Chinese women's volleyball team cruised to a quick 3-0 win over their German counterparts in their last game in the Women's World Cup on Friday afternoon, securing a spot in the top three as well as a berth at the London Olympics. The other two teams are Italy and the US. Through three stages of the tournament, China claimed eight victories in 11 matches and collected 26 points.

 

Not

Chinese men's national soccer team

A goal from Younis Mahmoud of Iraq in stoppage time sent the Chinese into sheer desperation, as they lost the crucial qualifier for the 2014 World Cup early Saturday in Doha. Three days later, with Iraq fetching another victory over Jordan, the Chinese men's soccer team was pronounced out of the running for the World Cup. I came across a comment after the China-Iraq game, wailing over the length of the stoppage time: "It's not four minutes; it is another four years for Chinese soccer."

In FIFA statistics released last week, China ranked first with the most soccer players (26,166,335), among whom 711,235 are registered. However, according to the Chinese Football Association in September, the number (of registered soccer players) is 7,000.

 

Quincy Douby

We are really sorry to notify you that Quincy Douby from the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of China's basketball league has bid farewell to this season after an unexpected wrist injury during a preseason game against the Shanghai Sharks on Sunday. The league's reigning MVP fractured his left wrist during a fall caused by a bump in the air. He has now returned to the US to undergo surgery. And the Flying Tigers, last year's runner-up who now loses 32 points and 4.6 assists per game on paper, is reportedly chasing NBAer Jamal Crawford as a substitute.

 

Ding Junhui

In many ways we should be thankful for the advent of micro blogs, as it changes our views on many things to a great degree. Ding Junhui, China's ace snooker player, was always thought to be introverted, but he seems to have proved otherwise, at least in the cyber world. Preparing himself for the Power Snooker one coming Saturday and the UK Snooker Championship next month, Ding interacts with fans on a variety of topics on Weibo. He greeted Chinese bachelors on Singles Day, Nov 11. Then he mocked the height of ritual girls at Power Snooker last year. On Tuesday he asked a CBA player about joining the NBA. And he changed his Weibo avatar – a comic image drawn by a fan - after soliciting suggestions online yesterday.