With an eye on the Paris Olympics, Jiangsu is sending 80 athletes to the upcoming Asian Games, targeting a medal-laden campaign in Hangzhou to boost its prospects next year.
Of the 80 athletes, 38 are men and 42 are women. 60 athletes will participate in the Asian Games for the first time, accounting for 75% of the total number of athletes from Jiangsu.
“The average age of the athletes is 24.4 years old. The youngest is 17-year-old female gymnast Zuo Tong. The oldest equestrian athlete is 36-year-old Bao Yingfeng. The 13 world champions among the athletes include two Olympic champions, namely Zhang Yufei and Gong Xiangyu”, Liu Tong, Deputy Director of Jiangsu Provincial Sports Bureau, said.
At this Asian Games, Jiangsu athletes will participate in 21 major events, and 70 sub events with greater hope of competing for more gold and medals in athletics, swimming, rowing, and some other major events. The number of athletes for collective "big-ball" teams of football, basketball, and volleyball has increased compared with the last Asian Games.
In addition to Olympic medalist Zhang Yufei, through training and preparation in recent years, Jiangsu has also emerged a group of competitive and outstanding athletes, including long jump athlete Wang Jianan, shooter Sheng Lihao, rower Zang Ha, Cai Pengpeng, and chess player Wei Yi.
