Zhong Chen

Zhong Chen began her sports career playing basketball. After four years of dribbles and passes, she turned to taekwondo. She was then aged 13 and her sport was not yet an Olympic one.

Chinese championship after only two years of training

Very quickly Zhong put her talent to good use. In 1997, not only did she make the national team after two years’ practice, but she also won her first Chinese championship titles and stepped up to the podium at the East Asian Games. In three years, she climbed the ranks of women’s taekwondo in the “heavyweight” category – over 67kg.

The youngest for gold

At the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000, the taekwondo tournament was part of the official programme for the first time. In the over 67kg category, the competition was set to be difficult between the 12 athletes in contention. Zhong was the youngest competitor and did not have the experience of her older opponents. She needed all her technique and talent to reach the final, overcoming the obstacles of the direct elimination matches. In the decisive match, the Chinese athlete gave Russia’s Natalia Ivanova short shift, winning 8 points to 3.

12:5 for another gold

The years rolled by and medals of various metals piled up for Zhong Chen. In 2004, at the Olympic Games in Athens, she was no longer the youngest in her category, but just simply the Olympic champion who everyone wanted to dethrone. The matches were intense, Zhong won by only two or three points each time. She qualified for the final, in which she faced France’s Myriam Baverel. As in Sydney, the last match was a simple formality: Zhong won with a final score of 12 points to 5, and took her second gold medal. (source Olympics.com)

1988 Olympic Gold Medalist
1997 East Asian Games – 3rd 67kg
1997 National Championships – 1st 65kg
1997 National Champions Tournament – 1st 65kg
1998 Asian Championships – 2nd 65kg
1998 National Championships – 1st 67kg
1998 National Champions Tournament – 1st 67kg
1998 Asian Games – 3rd 67kg
1999 World Military Games – 1st +67kg
1999 World Championships – 3rd +67kg
2000 Asian Championships – 1st +67kg
2000 Olympic Games – 1st +67kg
2001 National Games – 1st +67kg
2001 World Cup – 1st 72kg
2001 World Championships – 2nd 72kg
2002 World Cup – 1st 72kg
2002 Asian Games – 2nd 72kg
2003 National Championships – 1st +72kg
2003 World Championships – 3rd +72kg
2004 National Championships – 1st +72kg
2004 Olympic Games – 1st +67kg class