The Most Famous

ATHLETES from China

This page contains a list of the greatest Chinese Athletes. The pantheon dataset contains 6,025 Athletes, 346 of which were born in China. This makes China the birth place of the 9th most number of Athletes behind Canada, and Australia.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Chinese Athletes of all time. This list of famous Chinese Athletes is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Chinese Athletes.

1. Karma (b. )

With an HPI of 85.66, Karma is the most famous Chinese Athlete. Their biography has been translated into 93 different languages on wikipedia.

Karma (, from Sanskrit: कर्म, IPA: [ˈkɐɾmɐ] ; Pali: kamma) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called the principle of karma, wherein individuals' intent and actions (cause) influence their future (effect): Good intent and good deeds contribute to good karma and happier rebirths, while bad intent and bad deeds contribute to bad karma and worse rebirths. In some scriptures, however, there is no link between rebirth and karma. Karma is often misunderstood as fate, destiny, or predetermination. Fate, destiny or predetermination has specific terminology in Sanskrit and is called Prarabdha. The concept of karma is closely associated with the idea of rebirth in many schools of Indian religions (particularly in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism), as well as Taoism. In these schools, karma in the present affects one's future in the current life as well as the nature and quality of future lives—one's saṃsāra. This concept has also been adopted in Western popular culture, in which the events that happen after a person's actions may be considered natural consequences of those actions.

2. Li Hong ( - 675)

With an HPI of 60.92, Li Hong is the 2nd most famous Chinese Athlete. His biography has been translated into 8 different languages.

Li Hong (Chinese: 李弘) (652 – 25 May 675), formally Emperor Xiaojing (孝敬皇帝, literally, "the filial and respectful emperor") with the temple name of Yizong (義宗), was a crown prince (not emperor, despite his formal title) of the Chinese Tang dynasty. He was the fifth son of Emperor Gaozong and the oldest son of his second wife Empress Wu (later known as Wu Zetian), and he was made the crown prince in 656. As he grew older, he often came in conflict with his ambitious and powerful mother Empress Wu, and it is commonly believed by traditional historians that she poisoned him to death in 675. His father Emperor Gaozong, then still reigning, posthumously honored him with an imperial title.

3. Eric Liddell (1902 - 1945)

With an HPI of 60.62, Eric Liddell is the 3rd most famous Chinese Athlete. His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Eric Henry Liddell (; 16 January 1902 – 21 February 1945) was a Scottish sprinter, rugby player and Christian missionary. Born in Qing China to Scottish missionary parents, he attended boarding school near London, spending time when possible with his family in Edinburgh, and afterwards attended the University of Edinburgh. At the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, Liddell refused to run in the heats for his favoured 100 metres because they were held on a Sunday. Instead he competed in the 400 metres held on a weekday, a race that he won. He became ordained as a Congregational minister in 1932 and regularly taught bible classes at Morningside Congregational Church, Edinburgh. He returned to China in 1925 and served as a missionary teacher. Aside from two furloughs in Scotland, he remained in China until his death in a Japanese civilian internment camp in 1945. Liddell's Olympic training and racing, and the religious convictions that influenced him, are depicted in the Oscar-winning 1981 film Chariots of Fire, in which he is portrayed by fellow Scot and University of Edinburgh alumnus Ian Charleson.

4. Swimming at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metre freestyle (b. )

With an HPI of 56.45, Swimming at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metre freestyle is the 4th most famous Chinese Athlete. Their biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

The men's 100 metre freestyle event at the 2020 Summer Olympics was held from 27 to 29 July 2021 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. There were approximately 60 competitors from approximately 45 nations, with the ultimate numbers determined through the ongoing selection process, including universality places.

5. Karen Lachmann (1916 - 1962)

With an HPI of 54.50, Karen Lachmann is the 5th most famous Chinese Athlete. Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Karen Vilhelmine Lachmann (30 May 1916 – 30 September 1962) was a Danish foil fencer. She won a silver medal in the women's individual foil event at the 1948 Summer Olympics and a bronze in the same event at the 1952 Summer Olympics.

6. Liu Xiang (b. 1983)

With an HPI of 52.71, Liu Xiang is the 6th most famous Chinese Athlete. His biography has been translated into 44 different languages.

Liu Xiang (simplified Chinese: 刘翔; traditional Chinese: 劉翔; pinyin: Liú Xiáng; born July 13, 1983) is a Chinese former 110 meter hurdler. Liu is an Olympic Gold medalist and World Champion. His 2004 Olympic gold medal was the first in a men's track and field event for China. Liu is one of China's most successful athletes and has emerged as a cultural icon. On top of being the only male athlete in history to be all of 110-metre hurdles World Record Holder, World Champion and Olympic Champion—Liu remains the Olympic record holder for the men's 110-metre hurdles with a time of 12.91 seconds he set back at the 2004 Athens Olympics. He was the favorite to win another gold in the 110 metre hurdles at the Beijing Olympics, but he had to withdraw from competition at the last moment after a false start and aggravation to a previously unrevealed injury. Again a gold medal favourite in the 110 metre hurdles at the London Olympics he pulled his Achilles tendon attempting to clear the first hurdle in the heats. On April 7, 2015, he announced his retirement on Sina Weibo.

7. Wang Junxia (b. 1973)

With an HPI of 52.52, Wang Junxia is the 7th most famous Chinese Athlete. Her biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Wang Junxia (simplified Chinese: 王军霞; traditional Chinese: 王軍霞; pinyin: Wáng Jūnxiá; born 19 January 1973) is a Chinese former long-distance runner who is the current world record holder at 3,000 meters. She also held the world record for the 10,000 meters for 23 years, between 1993 and 2016, which is a record in itself. Her best years were from 1991 to 1996. Wang was coached by Ma Junren until 1995 and by Mao Dezhen from 1995 to her retirement after the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

8. Zhu Jianhua (b. 1963)

With an HPI of 52.35, Zhu Jianhua is the 8th most famous Chinese Athlete. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Zhu Jianhua (simplified Chinese: 朱建华; traditional Chinese: 朱建華; pinyin: Zhū Jiànhuá; born 29 May 1963) is a retired Chinese high jumper. His personal best of 2.39 metres is a former world record for the event, and is still the Chinese record. In Helsinki 1983, Zhu became China's first man to win a medal in the IAAF World Championships. In the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, he became the first male from the People's Republic of China to win an athletics medal in the history of the Olympic Games (Yang Chuan-kwang won a silver medal representing the Republic of China in the 1960 Rome Olympics). He is a two-time gold medallist at both the Asian Games and the Asian Athletics Championships.

9. Guo Jingjing (b. 1981)

With an HPI of 47.84, Guo Jingjing is the 9th most famous Chinese Athlete. Her biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Guo Jingjing (Chinese: 郭晶晶; pinyin: Guō Jīngjīng; born October 15, 1981, in Baoding, Hebei) is a retired Chinese diver, and multi-time Olympic gold medalist and world champion. Guo is tied with her partner Wu Minxia for winning the most Olympic medals (6) of any female diver and she won the 3m springboard event at five consecutive World Championships. She announced her retirement in 2011.

10. Wang Yifu (b. 1960)

With an HPI of 47.41, Wang Yifu is the 10th most famous Chinese Athlete. Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Wang Yifu (Chinese: 王义夫; pinyin: Wáng Yìfū, born 4 December 1960) is a male Chinese pistol shooter, and in terms of Olympic medals one of the most successful sport shooters of all times, and was the first shooter with six individual Olympic medals. He specializes in the 50 m Pistol and 10 m Air Pistol events. He is the only shooter to have won two gold medals in men's 10 metre air pistol.

People

Pantheon has 346 people classified as Chinese athletes born between 1902 and 2007. Of these 346, 341 (98.55%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Chinese athletes include Karma, Swimming at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metre freestyle, and Liu Xiang. The most famous deceased Chinese athletes include Li Hong, Eric Liddell, and Karen Lachmann. As of April 2024, 226 new Chinese athletes have been added to Pantheon including Karma, Li Hong, and Swimming at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metre freestyle.